# Which Presidents Would have Survived Assassination with Modern Medicine? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665 "2013-05-29T23:08:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/21 "2013-05-30T12:31:31Z")
It was the third and final shot that killed Kennedy, instantly. The second shot actually went through his upper torso but missed anything vital. Had he ducked at that point, or if the Secret Service had been quicker to respond, he would almost certainly have survived the attempt and recovered from his wound. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/22 "2013-05-30T12:36:39Z")
IIRC, the doctors attempted to remove the ball from Lincoln’s brain, but every time they tried his body responded in an extreme manner. The best they could do for him was remove him to a bed across the street and try to make him comfortable until he died. At the end of the ordeal, the bed and pillows were drenched with blood; he kept breathing normally so long at the wound remained open. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/23 "2013-05-30T12:39:03Z")
> [@Dolukhanova](#): > > Man, I hate to break it to you - and to myself - but 1981 _was_ several decades ago. Poor use of the word “ago.” ☹ It should have read “several decades earlier” or “before.” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/24 "2013-05-30T13:42:05Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Previous thread on topic: [With modern medicine, could Lincoln have survived?](http://senegoid.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=531928) > > There are several links to articles on the topic, but some may now be dead links. With modern IT support, would any of those links have survived? ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/25 "2013-05-30T16:04:48Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It was the third and final shot that killed Kennedy, instantly. The second shot actually went through his upper torso but missed anything vital. Had he ducked at that point, or if the Secret Service had been quicker to respond, he would almost certainly have survived the attempt and recovered from his wound. Kennedy had Addison’s disease. Because of this it was likely that the second shot would have killed him. However, if he had modern medicine all his life it is possible he would not have been prescribed the steroids which gave him addison’s disease. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/26 "2013-05-30T16:53:15Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Kennedy had Addison’s disease. Because of this it was likely that the second shot would have killed him. > However, if he had modern medicine all his life it is possible he would not have been prescribed the steroids which gave him addison’s disease. Interesting point..Kennedy was a VERY sick man (indeed)-he had Addison’s disease and a host of other ailments. Steroids had only recently been discovered, and the high doses given him caused massive bone loss (his spine was greatly weakened). Kennedy was also addicted to a variety of drugs-his personal “Dr. Feelgood” injected him with a weird cocktail of drugs, including stimulants and steroids. I suspect JFK may well have died in office. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/27 "2013-05-30T16:59:43Z")
I’ve read accounts of Reagan’s surgery stating that his recovery would have been a lot speedier had they left the bullet in him, but just imagine the hue and cry if word had gotten out that a bullet had been left in the POTUS. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/28 "2013-05-30T17:03:46Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Kennedy had Addison’s disease. Because of this it was likely that the second shot would have killed him. > However, if he had modern medicine all his life it is possible he would not have been prescribed the steroids which gave him addison’s disease. The steroids were being used to treat his Addison’s disease. Most likely, he was being given ACTH or cortisone, which are very crude precursors to prednisone and other drugs commonly used nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Rosetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Green\_Rosetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Rosetta)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/29 "2013-05-30T17:13:15Z")
On the topic of FDR, if he had been born after 1955, he would’ve been vaccinated and not gotten polio in the first place, and would certainly have lived much longer. I just started reading ‘The President and the Assassin’ today so I’m sure I’ll be back soon with an opinion on McKinley’s likelihood of survival! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/30 "2013-05-30T17:32:44Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It was the third and final shot that killed Kennedy, instantly. The second shot actually went through his upper torso but missed anything vital. Had he ducked at that point, or if the Secret Service had been quicker to respond, he would almost certainly have survived the attempt and recovered from his wound. I’m trying to remember where I read that he would have naturally slumped down after the first or second shot if his back brace hadn’t kept him artificially upright and in the line of fire. The source isn’t coming, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/31 "2013-05-30T17:33:25Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I’ve read accounts of Reagan’s surgery stating that his recovery would have been a lot speedier had they left the bullet in him, but just imagine the hue and cry if word had gotten out that a bullet had been left in the POTUS. I’ve read that he came a lot closer to dying than the media/the country ever knew. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/32 "2013-05-30T17:44:16Z")
> [@Green\_Rosetta](#): > > On the topic of FDR, if he had been born after 1955, he would’ve been vaccinated and not gotten polio in the first place, and would certainly have lived much longer. He very well may not have had polio. > **[Paralytic illness of Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt%27s_paralytic_illness)** > > Franklin D. Roosevelt, later the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 to 1945, began experiencing symptoms of a paralytic illness in 1921 when he was 39 years old. His main symptoms were fevers; symmetric, ascending paralysis; facial paralysis; bowel and bladder dysfunction; numbness and hyperesthesia; and a descending pattern of recovery. He was diagnosed with poliomyelitis and underwent years of therapy, including hydrotherapy at Warm Springs, Georgia. Roosevelt remained paralyzed fr... ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/33 "2013-05-30T18:07:20Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I’ve read accounts of Reagan’s surgery stating that his recovery would have been a lot speedier had they left the bullet in him, but just imagine the hue and cry if word had gotten out that a bullet had been left in the POTUS. Especially since it was an exploding bullet that stopped within an inch of his heart. He was very, very lucky that the round was a dud. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/34 "2013-05-30T18:08:22Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Kennedy had Addison’s disease. Because of this it was likely that the second shot would have killed him. Uhmmm … why? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/35 "2013-05-30T18:09:03Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Actually, there was an article in American Heritage several years ago that said Lincoln could have been saved even using the medicine and knowledge of the time. In any case, there is a very strong argument that [he could have survived](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/20/AR2007052000873.html) with current medical knowledge. Lincoln was shot in the head, execution-style. Even today, the best you could hope for would be survival with severe brain damage (similar to Gabby Giffords). A full recovery would be miraculous. Kennedy, I doubt he could be saved, even if he’d been shot _in_ the operating room of the ER, and they started work immediately. McKinley and Garfield would probably have survived today. Reagan, if he had lived in the 19th Century, might easily have died. It would be very iffy, much like McKinley or Garfield. As for the natural deaths: William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor would have survived. Warren G. Harding would probably have survivied, altho his cause of death has always been a bit unlear, so we really can’t say for sure. Roosevelt is a bit complicated. As others have mentioned, these days he wouldn’t have had polio in the first place. Still, given his health at the time, he likely wasn’t long for this world no matter how good his heath care was. They _maybe_ could have gotten him thru his last term, but even that’s kinda optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/36 "2013-05-30T18:18:53Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I’ve read accounts of Reagan’s surgery stating that his recovery would have been a lot speedier had they left the bullet in him, but just imagine the hue and cry if word had gotten out that a bullet had been left in the POTUS. If that happened today, Tony Stark could have made him an Ironman suit. 😉 Imagine him wearing \*that \*to the Iceland summit. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/37 "2013-05-30T18:28:54Z")
I remember reading that the doctors wanted to extract the bullet from McKinley’s stomach, but they were unable to find it due to his girth. He eventually succumbed to pertonitis (though Wiki says gangrene). What was really ironic was that there was a working X-ray machine on display not far away at the Exhibition. Had anyone thought of using it, they could have found and extracted the bullet easily, before the wound became septic. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/38 "2013-05-30T21:48:40Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Dolukhanova > Man, I hate to break it to you - and to myself - but 1981 was several decades ago. > > Poor use of the word “ago.” ☹ It should have read “several decades earlier” or “before.” No. 1981 was three decades ago. Knowledgeable users of the English language consider “several” to be significantly more than “three”, and would consider “three” to be “a few”. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/39 "2013-05-30T22:55:49Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > With modern IT support, would any of those links have survived? Actually, in a state of stasis… > **[Xoilac TV - Giới Thiệu Trang Web Xem Trực Tiếp Bóng Đá Chất Lượng Full HD](https://deadurl.com/)** > > Xoi Lac TV là một trang web xem trực tiếp bóng đá cung cấp chất lượng full HD cùng với đa trải nghiệm đỉnh cao đến người xem. Fire up Firefox, add this to your Bookmarks bar ( you don’t need to keep the bar on display, just open it when you need this tool ), and when you get a 404, hit it and any versions online, say from the Internet Archive or elsewhere, will display. It succeeds about 70% of the time, I’d estimate. '_Geocities, how I love ya. how I love ya My dear old AOL. I’d give the world to be among the folks in Y-A-H-O-O even though my mammy’s waiting for me, praying for me down by the AOL._ ---
**Author:** ![Win\_Place\_Show](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/win_place_show/32/13469_2.png) [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665/40 "2013-05-31T02:55:05Z")
Fascinating topic and read. I don’t know that it fits into the “President” discussion (but I hope it’s not considered a total derailment of the thread), but any opinions / documentaries you may have seen, about whether Robert Kennedy or Martin Luther King could have possibly survived their wounds, if they had been shot in this day and age? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-presidents-would-have-survived-assassination-with-modern-medicine/659665.md?page=3)