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teams—is the most labored and the least interesting, partly because it lacks adequate technical details. The description of the events leading up to Trinity, on the other hand, are among the highlights of the book and probably will appeal to all readers. An interesting vignette is the ingenious experiment designed by Frisch to determine how much uranium would be needed in the uranium bomb. No one doubted that the nearly ready uranium gun would work, but no one had yet seen uranium explode, either. When the first large amounts of enriched uranium reached Site Y, Frisch proposed an experiment. Blocks of the metal hydride would be assembled as a bomb. A large hole left in the center would preclude a chain reaction. The missing core, mounted on rails, could then be dropped through the hole. For a split second it wouldjust barely create the conditions for an explosion, as near an approach as could be conceived, Frisch remarked, "towards starting an atomic explosion without actually being blown up." To some, this book may raise the interesting question of whether historians should write scientific history or whether scientists should do it themselves. Many scientists tend to maintain a suspicion about others who attempt to interpret what they do or have done. Be that as it may, overall, The Dragon's Tail is a real achievement of which the Nevada Operations Office of DOE and the author can be proud. It is an eminently readable, factual account of the development and testing of fission bombs from a unique radiological safety point of view. It will make interesting reading to all health physicists and to many others with an interest in the still fascinating scientific history of the period. Warren Sinclair National Council ofRadiation Protection and Measurements 7910 Woodmont Avenue Bethesda, Maryland TL· Impact ofIllness on World Leaders. By Bert Edward Park. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986. Pp. 352. $24.95. This book reviews several important world leaders and the possible effect of illness on some of their political actions. Woodrow Wilson was reported to have had a stroke affecting his right arm in 1896, before his tenure as president of Princeton. During his Princeton period, he suffered a stroke that resulted in blindness in his left eye. In 1913, at the age of 63, he became president of the United States and served two terms of office. Of interest was the status of his health during the Paris Peace Conference in Versailles where, along with Lloyd George, Clemenceau, and Orlando, a League of Nations was proposed. Shortly after this, his disagreement with Senator Lodge prevented ratification of American membership in the League by the U.S. Senate. The effort was not helped by his stroke in 1919. During this time he was not publicly visible for 7 months and seen only byJoseph Tumulty, his wife Edith, and his physician, Adm. Gary Grayson. Wilson's accomplishments as president of Princeton, governor of New Jersey, and as president of the United States are well known. It is difficult to say whether the League of Nations was a Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 31, 3 · Spring 1988 \ 463 failure because of his illness, since there were many other factors influencing the birth of this organization. Franklin D. Roosevelt's physician was Admiral Mclntire, recommended by Admiral Grayson, Wilson's physician. Roosevelt suffered from polio before being governor of New York State. At the Tehran Conference (at age 62) on November 28, 1943, his blood pressure was recorded as 186/88 by Lt. Comdr. Howard Bruenn, Mclntire's assistant. He also noted arteriovenous nicking of the retinal vessels and an iron deficiency with a hemoglobin of4.5 grams. He recommended digitalis, a 2,000 calorie low-fat diet, less stress, and 10 hours of sleep. Antihypertensive drugs were not available at this time. During the campaign of April 1944, Roosevelt drove through lower New York City in the cold rain. In August 1944, his blood pressure was 240/130. Again, Admiral Mclntire failed to make known to the public his hypertensive heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or congestive heart failure. During this period, Roosevelt had a critical meeting with MacArthur and Nimitz on...

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