Anthony Eden's surgery goes better

Iron Sun

Banned
In 1953, Anthony Eden suffered an injury to his bile duct while undergoing surgery to remove gallstones. To deal with the chronic pain this caused, Eden was prescribed Drinamyl, a combination of amphetamine and barbiturate. Drinamyl has been known to impair judgement, cause paranoia and even make the person taking it to lose contact with reality. It is suspected that Eden's poor decision-making during the Suez Crisis was in large part caused by the side effects of Drinamyl.

With that in mind, what would happen if Eden's surgery went smoothly, and he never develops a need for Drinamyl? How would that affect his premiership?
 
Your asking about a man's mental health and personality. We can't truely if it was the medication that tarnished Eden's career.

Years of being shunned from power by King George V and Winston Churchill could have played it's part.

His divorce in 1950?
His service in World War One?
 
Jonathan
No we can't know truly know if it was Eden's medication which tarnished his career. However, prior to Suez his judgment seems to have been sound. He brokered a sensible settlement over Indo-China, was not subservient to the USA (in fact disliked the Dulles brothers and their policies....fine in my book!), was critical of the "Special Relationship", and, in so far as he took any interest in domestic matters, was not especially "Right wing" in an era when many Tories wanted to prolong the Empire.
I believe his illness caused many of his problems and that his Premiership could have been succesful.
 
Top