Clinton’s Health Called ‘Excellent’

President Clinton has gained 18 pounds since his last complete physical examination but is in “excellent health,” a team of doctors reported Saturday. They said swollen vocal cords were causing his recent hoarseness and recommended he rest his voice.

The 53-year-old president weighs 214 pounds, still within the normal range of up to 220 pounds for a 6-foot-2 man, said Clinton’s physician, Dr. Connie Mariano.

“He would feel best and most fit if he could drop about 10 pounds,” White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart told reporters outside the Bethesda Naval Medical Center.

Two small skin abnormalities were removed from Clinton’s forehead in what doctors described as a routine precautionary treatment. Such skin conditions, typically caused by sun exposure, sometimes can become cancerous.

Clinton has been bothered by a hoarse and raspy voice since returning from New Zealand in mid-September. His voice broke twice during a speech Tuesday to the United Nations General Assembly.