The Irritable Heart: The Medical Mystery of the Gulf War

by Jeff Wheelwright

Book Overview

Following the 1991 Persian Gulf War, thousands of U.S. military veterans developed illnesses that medical science was unable to understand. Ten years later many veterans remain sick, and doctors still cannot agree on the cause. In The Irritable Heart Jeff Wheelwright profiles five ailing veterans, unraveling the health mystery through their intimate and fascinating case histories. He describes the veterans' experiences, beginning with their deployment...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 039301956X
• ISBN13: 9780393019568
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A humanist classic

A brilliant investigation into and meditation on the intersection of epidemiology, journalism, politics, and human suffering known as the Gulf War Syndrome. The book is sui generis, and as with many works of surpassing originality it may be overlooked today, but I predict people will be reading this humanist classic in a hundred years.

A gripping read

This book is a remarkable portrait of a difficult and highly politicized medical phenomenon -- Gulf War Syndrome -- and its subsets, chronic fatigue syndrome, chemical sensitivities and fibromyalgia. Because of this overlap, many, many Americans will be tremendously interested by this book. It is deep and broad, and rich. Journalists and historians will also be fascinated by the writer's unusual and intelligent method, and the implications of the story. Wheelwright not only keeps you reading way past your bedtime, but reveals the complexities for victims, doctors, and the public's attitudes. Not glib, this book manages to paint a vivid picture of people and medical ideas without taking any shortcuts. A tremendous and really entertaining achievement which may sadly be overlooked in the trend towards simple blockbusters. You will be recommending it to others.

Take heart

This book is a stunning achievement: it makes obscure and confusing science understandable, and discusses with accuracy and compassion the many different aspects of Gulf War Syndrome. I found that Wheelwright's voice, always confident and clear, was greatly reassuring. Very powerful. A must read for those interested in science, medicine and politics, and how they overlap.

Take this to heart

The Irritable Heart is a stunning achievement, its calm, persuasive tone reveals the widespread suffering attributed to Gulf War Syndrome. It is excellently researched, clearly written. Wheelwright is a science writer who speaks from the heart.