Franklin Delano Roosevelt's polio was obscured from public view by a worried White House and pliant press corps. Few knew of Dwight Eisenhower's heart attacks and stroke. John F. Kennedy's Addison's disease was hidden from the public eye. These days, however, the public learns more about the health of candidates running for the White House.

Quiz: Presidential Health Through History

John McCain released 1,173 pages of medical records in July, showing that he suffers from several health concerns common among people his age, but also that he's in good shape for a person with his life experiences.

A three-time melanoma cancer survivor, he gets regular checkups from Mayo Clinic dermatologists. And, like many aging Americans, McCain takes medicine to keep his cholesterol in check.

But Mayo internist Dr. John Eckstein, his longtime personal physician, lauded McCain's performance on a heart stress test. Eckstein said McCain recently ran it out for 10 minutes -- a stronger performance than some of his decades-younger patients.

McCain's lengthy battle with skin cancer is well known -- he recently appeared at a cancer research fundraising event with Lance Armstrong -- and evidence of it can be seen by the visible scar on the left side of his face.

Surgery in 2000 removed what doctors classified as a stage 2A -- out of 4 -- melanoma. Surgeons also removed 34 lymph nodes as a precautionary measure near the cancer and part of his saliva-producing parotid gland. This was the worst stint of McCain's at least five bouts of skin cancer, with which other areas were removed from his left shoulder, arm and nose. A biopsy of a small patch of skin removed from John McCain's right cheek in July showed no evidence of skin cancer, McCain's doctors said.

Just days before his expected nomination at the Republican National Convention, McCain will be blowing out 72 candles on his birthday cake. If elected, he will beat Ronald Reagan's record as the oldest first-term president in the nation's history. Does that kind of experience represent a liability? A recent U.S. News and World Report poll showed that 32 percent of Americans believe he is too old to run for president.

A two-pack-a-day smoker for more than two decades, according to his health records, McCain quit in 1980 and has since had chest X-rays and CAT scans to quell concerns of lung cancer. Nevertheless, smoking side effects including cancer, lung diseases and heart attacks are still potential problems, as they would be for anyone who smoked heavily for a long time.

McCain's records also discuss the damage done as a prisoner of war during Vietnam War. When his plane was shot down over Vietnam in 1967, both arms and one leg were broken. Also, while captured for 5 1/2 years, he was tortured and beaten until both of his shoulders broke. These injuries were never properly set, resulting in a limited range of motion in his shoulders, right knee and arms. In McCain's medical records, one doctor wrote that McCain would probably need to have his shoulders replaced someday.

Kidney stones in his right kidney and precancerous polyps in his colon were found and removed. Also, McCain has been treated for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and insomnia.