Art Pottery, Politics and Food
Thursday, January 04, 2007
 


According to LegalTimes.com:

A July 26, 1986, memo sent by then-FBI Director William Webster...advised agents that...Rehnquist had been taking Placidyl since before 1972...The FBI report ultimately concluded...that Rehnquist was already taking Placidyl in 1970, when he was given a physical at a government facility...For six or seven months before Rehnquist’s hospitalization in 1981...Rehnquist was re-filling three-month prescriptions for Placidyl every month — suggesting he was taking close to 1,500 milligrams daily instead of 500.

According to a 1971 release by Placidyl's manufacturer Abbot Laboratories via a terrific article on Slate.com:

PLACIDYL, LIKE OTHER SEDATIVE-HYPNOTIC DRUGS, HAS THE
POTENTIAL…FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL DEPENDENCE. INSTANCES OF SEVERE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING CONVULSIONS AND [DELIRIUM]...HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN PATIENTS TAKING REGULAR DOSES AS LOW AS 1000 MG. PER DAY OVER A PERIOD OF TIME WHEN THE DRUG WAS SUDDENLY DISCONTINUED. [Capitals in original.]

Curious.
While I'm guessing Placidyl Delirium (sounding like one of The 3 Tenors) will become the historical rationale for the silly gold stripes added to the Chief Justice's robes, the information resulting from LegalTimes.com's FOIA request more seriously suggests Rehnquist was ripe for the odd blackmailer or two...When he was awake and lucid, of course!

Modified Image: BioPsychiatry.com, CNN
Sunday, December 31, 2006
 


Image: Calvin.edu

Powered by Blogger