The shift in power that occurred in the Senate in the 1950s due to deaths and health-induced absences was a turning point in policy decisions. The case study reinforces the far-reaching implications these vacancies can have, underlining how they can lead to profound policy shifts and tangible impact on citizens' lives.

I am also worried about the increasing reliance on tie-breaking votes by the vice president to get things done, which seems to point to a deeper issue of polarization and lack of bipartisan collaboration in the Senate.

In essence, the fragility and unpredictability of human health are being translated into the fragility and unpredictability of policy-making and legislative outcomes.