The Irritable Heart

Book excerpt: Wheelwright (former science editor for Life magazine) profiles five ailing Gulf War veterans from their deployment to the Gulf, through their experiences in the Gulf War, and their subsequent illnesses and attempts to discover the causes. He argues that the illnesses belong in the company of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivity. Pointing out precedents in military history that go back as far as a Civil War malady known as "irritable heart," he argues that the illnesses are a combination of physical symptoms greatly magnified by psychological distress. Because modern medicine deals with the body and mind separately, he contends, the health investigation of the veteran's illnesses is bound to fail. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR