CNN looked at old reports from physical exams of former presidents. These reports usually include basic information like height, weight, and blood pressure. But they also include details like how Obama’s doctor removed a skin tag, how George H. W. Bush’s doctor drained a cyst on his finger, and how Gerald Ford’s doctor pushed for a swimming pool at the White House.
Presidential candidates aren’t required to share the results of their medical exam, but Jackson did so during a meeting on Tuesday and said on Friday that Trump was in “excellent health.”
Here is a look at how healthy past leaders were based on the exams they had
In January 1975, Ford’s doctor told him, “happy to report he is in excellent health. The results of all medical tests were normal in every way.”
In July 1976, Ford had another physical. During this visit, his doctor said, “He has had no complaints … other than mild discomfort in his knee following periods of prolonged standing. The President has maintained his physical capacity for long working hours. He sleeps very well and continues to follow his diet and weighs between 195 and 198 pounds.”
Ford’s doctor wrote in 1975 that “the completion of the new White House swimming pool will provide him with short intervals for relaxation that can easily be fitted into his busy schedule.”
“I would like to take the time to acknowledge those citizens who, by their contributions, make a swimming pool available for the President in the White House,” Dr. William Lukash said at a press meeting in January 1976. “I might add that the President was reluctant to use the pool during the winter months because of his concern about energy conservation. I spoke to him about this and felt it was to his advantage to have the use of this pool because I thought it would be an improvement in his sense of well-being and make him more conducive to his feeling better the next day. … The President swims approximately 24 lengths of the pool, which adds up to about a quarter of a mile, and he does this in about 14 minutes.”
Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989
Bush’s press assistant said in a statement that a “sebaceous cyst on the third finger of his left hand was drained. The President is wearing a Band-Aid on the finger, which he can remove within the next few hours. This cyst has been present for many years and does not present a medical problem.”
“In excellent health,” Reagan was told by the White House physician after being checked out by 14 experts in October 1981. Notably, he said that the president had “fully recovered” from the gunshot wounds he got in March 1981 during an attempt on his life.
In May 1984, Reagan had another exam, and this time, his doctor said he was in “very exceptional physical condition.” The doctors did find a small polyp in his colon, which they removed and found to be harmless. Similar polyps were found and removed during the president’s checkups in 1985 and 1988. Other than that, Reagan’s tests this year were found to be “entirely normal.”
While President Reagan was getting checked out in March 1985, the White House doctor said, “President Reagan continues to enjoy good health. His overall physical and mental condition is excellent. I am especially impressed with the fact that his blood pressure is lower than a year ago – this is quite remarkable.”
Reagan’s last recorded exam was in December 1988, while he was still in office. The president’s doctor said that he was in “remarkable physical condition.”
George H. W. Bush: from 1989 to 1993
After getting checked out in 1989, Bush was found to be in “extremely sound physical condition.” The X-rays, EKG, urinalysis, blood test, allergy test, and dermatological check all came back normal. His hips did show signs of “mild degenerative osteoarthritis, which has been present for several years.
