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A most charming Rogue; or, why house calls cost Extra
What a modern occurrence: a young man works only enough to get by, seduces every lovely young thing he can, spends himself into bankruptcy, and abuses his professional position, all the while wondering with complete innocence why the world isn't beating a path to his door. But Rosner's book isn't a comedy of 20th-century errors; it's the tale of a Regency-era stud who badly needed to be disabused of his notions. Fear not. He never was. Each few pages brings some fresh misadventure, in which the good doctor thinks he's found the perfect source of free money or true love, while you, the reader, are already squirming in anticipation of disaster. Here's a taste: Lesassier's specialty is obstetrics, at which he actually was quite competent. However, there was that little problem with him seducing his patients. This book does take a certain amount of attention to read. Published for the academic community, it's page after page of small print and few illustrations. It's well worth the effort.

Fascinating tale of life as left out by Jane Austen
This is a remarkably engaging tale based on the in-depth study of an 18th century physician's voluminous diary. In this actual history that reads like a page-turning novel, Rosner brings to life an ambitious, social climbing man from his youth and his training through a career marked by multiple scandals. A reader is forced to wonder how much the world of the protagonist's sexual pecadillos and ambitious exploitative manipulations are reflected behind the scenes in today's medical world. The author has turned scrupulous historical scholarship into a fully engrossing read. ... Read more

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Hitler and the Germans provides a profound alternative approach to the topic of the individual German's entanglement in the Hitler regime and its continuing implications. This comprehensive critique of the Nazi period has yet to be matched. ... Read more

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Highly recommended for students of German National Socialism
Deftly edited by Detlev Clemsn (Assistant Professor, Institute of Political Science, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany) and Brendan Purcell (Lecturer in Philosophy, University College, Dublin, Ireland), Hitler And The Germans is a selection of lectures by the late Eric Voegelin (1901-1985), a respected scholar and articulate critic of Hitler's regime in Germany. Professor Voegelin's intelligently written books drew the Nazi state's ire and forced him to leave Austria in 1938, barely escaping arrest by the Gestapo. Voegelin's seminal study of Germany's "descent into the depths", of the reprehensible crimes against humanity brought about by the Nazi regime (and the German people's allegiance to it), as well as the political and social fallout of the post World War II era, is both scholarly and personal. Hitler And The Germans is a fascinating and sharply observed perspective which is very highly recommended for students of German National Socialism. ... Read more

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A fscinating look at Hitler's medical history to determine their historical consequences. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very dry reading, but interesting nonetheless
Heston doesn't write especially well, so expect no fireworks among the pages. However, he has presented an accurate and clinical history of Hitler's health. The most interesting portions relate to Dr. Theo Morell, who became Hitler's personal physician in 1935. Morell was a hygenically-challenged mess whom all in the Hitler inner circle despised. Eva Braun said she would not allow "that pig" to get near her. Still, Morell exerted considerable influence over Hitler, who became physically dependent on the array of drugs Morell injected into him. By 1942, Hitler's physical decline was alarming, and Morell was dousing him with uppers to get up in the morning and downers to allow him sleep.

The "raving lunatic" side of Hitler, always depicted in motion pictures, is a myth. He was nothing like the movie Hitlers, as this book eloquently shows. He was, however, hopelessly addicted to amphetimines and barbituates for many years prior to his 1945 death. Though dry reading, it still will hold your interest.

Great book..
Although I have little interest in or understanding of this particular subject (medicine, health & illness, etc.) it is quite interesting for me inasmuch as it pertains to the Fuehrer. I was struck by the way the authors treated "Patient Hitler", presenting the facts in a clear and unbiased way.
The book is brief and offers the reader clear-cut medical data and explanations, sans negative commentary and personal prejudices, which I found pleasantly refreshing.
It was particularly insightful reading which drugs Hitler was given and how he reacted to each one. I also found their remarks about Hitler's mental state--especially throughout the last year of his life--of great value historically.
All in all it was really a quite fascinating read.

An Enthralling Glimpse Inside the Mind and Body of Evil
It is really a testament to the flinty conservatism of most historians that the Oprahfication of American culture has not yet been made retroactive in its history texts. While we have seen disturbing trends in the inroads tweed-jacketed neo-Marxists have made in driving political correctness into the heads of the foolish and ignorant, we have yet to hit rock bottom as evidenced by major efforts to understand the childhood traumas of Josef Stalin, or the various indignities which no doubt turned Vlad Tepes into Vlad the Impaler. Whereas the prophets of psychobabble dominate the present, the past is still replete with good, old-fashioned monsters, unredeemable through modern psychiatric understanding.

Even if one day this last rampart of sanity falls to the Prozac-entranced hordes, I suspect that one figure will remain too horrible to define by any therapeutic term: Adolf Hitler. This is not to say that investigating the hideous mental character of the archfiend is not worthwhile; just that comprehending pure evil may be as beyond our ken as understanding the nature of God.

Besides, Leonard L. and Renate Heston (M.D. and R.N. respectively) have already conducted a dispassionate study of Hitler which has been available for the past twenty years. "The Medical Casebook of Adolf Hitler" takes a novel approach to its subject: it merely treats Hitler as a patient and constructs a complete medical workup based on accounts accumulated from various high-ranking Nazis. This historical approach is fascinating in its simplicity; after all, it is easier (and far less perilous) to be objective about whether someone complained of sinus headaches than to report when exactly you learned about Treblinka.

Their findings are shocking and (to a layman such as myself) eminently credible. Historians tend to view Hitler as a lucky lunatic, viewing the mental decline of his latter years as the true Hitler, whereas the brilliant politician of the war's early years was merely a cunning disguise. This "rabid dog" view of Hitler always struck me as ringing hollow, as I could not imagine the likes of Erwin Rommel or Heinz Guderian eagerly embracing a madman. The authors blame the Fuhrer's very own Dr. Feelgood for pumping him full of methamphetamine and cocaine, an assertion which they support with a substantial amount of evidence.

If you're an avid student of World War II, Hitler, or merely one of the growing number of history fans who enjoy playing "What If?", you'll thoroughly enjoy this book on a much-neglected topic.

Most believable presentation of Hiter's psychopathology.
There are many theories as to what made Hitler the way he was, especially the apparent personality changes after about 1942. These include psychoanalytic theories, Adlerian theories, as well as theories of diseases including encephalitis and Parkinson's disease, etc. The Hestons discuss the pros and cons of all of these theories, and then offer one of their own. They are very thorough in their reasearch and presentation and give a very compelling case for their theory. Albert Speer, in introducing the book states that, after comparing their study with his own notes on Hitler, he believes their theory to be accurate. ... Read more

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Hitler investigates what it was that motivated this national leader to achieve such monstrosities which still cast a shadow over Europe today. ... Read more

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Modern-day Roland seeks his poet
If ever a subject cried out for an epic poem it is that of the last days of the Fuehrer, whatever your feelings about him may be. Snodgrass' poem is brilliant and creative, but....the glory of April 1945 still seeks its singer. ... Read more

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“The Grange,” an almost forgotten New York City museum now, was once the home of Alexander Hamilton. Here he settled with his family, hopeful of enjoying a quiet middle-age. Here, two years later, he made his will, and wrote a farewell letter to his wife. Early the next morning, he rode off to fight a duel with Aaron Burr. The owner of The Grange did not return. Soon, the shutters of the house were closed. And closed as well was the last chapter in the life of a great and controversial American. ... Read more

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In the things of the world, he had fences, and looked at some people through palings and even over the broken bottles on the tops of walls; and I think he was the loser by this, as well as they. But then I think all fences are bad, and that God has made enough differences between men; we need not trouble ourselves to multiply them. Even behind his fences, however, Holmes had a heart kind for the outsiders. ... Read more

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Psychological profile of a flawed Founding Father
Before he was killed in the celebrated dual, Hamilton was a facinating and often bizarre individual, one of the many flawed characters who gave birth to our remarkable Federal system.This book is less about his Federalist policies than about his psychological makeup and personal scandals. It doesn't go into much detail about his government career or economic theories, but it is easy to read and provides plenty of entertainment.It turns out, Hamilton and Burr were made for each other. ... Read more