DefinePK

Abstract

Historical background of Pickwickian Syndrome: William Howard Taft was President of the United States from 1909 to1913, and Chief Justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. Despite this unequalled record of achievement, "Taft is remem-bered, if at all, for being the fattiest president. His obesity has become a staple of quiz shows and trivia games, a humorous sweetener that generations of historians have sprinkled through bland lectures. Taft's obesity was not a humorous sprinkle. I will present evidence that Taft suffered from a serious complications of obesity, severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), before and through-out his presidency.