An unhealthy practice

It is generally put out that even though the health of the head of the government is a matter of national interest, it should not be a matter of national debate

Boris Johnson, British prime minister, is currently in a London hospital because of the China virus. He is getting better, it seems. 

It is useful, in this context, to remind readers of an age-old dilemma that societies face — should the fact that the leader is gravely ill be kept secret or made public?

The problem has been coming up for a long time. Caligula, the third Roman emperor 2,000 years ago, was slowly going mad but only two people knew. In India only a few knew that Aurangzeb fell prey around 1700 to a host of unspecified diseases. He died in