Health of Abraham Lincoln

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Abraham Lincoln's physical and mental health has been the subject of both contemporary commentary and subsequent hypotheses by historians and scholars.

Video Health of Abraham Lincoln

Physical Health

Despite the following events, Lincoln's health to middle age was good enough for his time.

Childhood

There is concern for the life of young Lincoln during the 24-hour period of unconsciousness followed by a horse kicking his head. He was nine when this happened

Infectious diseases

• Malaria : Lincoln suffers from malaria at least twice. The first was in 1830, along with other members of his family. They had just arrived in Illinois that year. The second episode was in the summer of 1835, while living in New Salem. Lincoln then became seriously ill, he was sent to a neighbor's house to be treated and treated.
• Syphilis : The claim that Lincoln suffered from syphilis around 1835 has been controversial. The latest analysis by the doctor received the diagnosis. All biographers reject the claim. Lincoln's legal partner, friend and biographer William Herndon said Lincoln contracted the disease, specifically stating that "Lincoln told me this." Herndon, believes that Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln suffered from syphilis, suspecting the premature death of three Lincoln children. Abe Lincoln is known for taking mercury, presumably for his condition. There is no physical evidence that Lincoln has this disease, but physical evidence is unnecessary, given that 50% of infections do not develop beyond temporary local infection, even without treatment. Syphilis is a common concern among young men before the introduction of penicillin but this is unexpected, given the syphilis's announcement in that era. Writing in 2003, biographer David Donald stated, "Modern doctors who have sifted evidence agree that Lincoln never had the disease," however, these doctors never published their analysis.

Smallpox : Lincoln contracted smallpox immediately after sending the Gettysburg Address in November 1863. Long considered only a mild case, the latest work suggested it was a serious illness. Although it did not paralyze Lincoln, the disease significantly affected the White House's routine, and limited the advisory he could meet. Taking care of him, Lincoln's servant William H. Johnson contracted the disease and eventually died of it.

Trauma

Lincoln died of a gunshot wound to the head in 1865. Other episodes of adult trauma were small. He was beaten on the head during a robbery attempt in 1828, beaten by his wife (apparently on several occasions), cutting his hand with an ax at least once, and expelling his feet frostbite in 1830-1831.

Habitus body

Lincoln's body shape ("habitus") attracted attention while he was alive, and continues to draw attention today among medical professionals. Geneticists are now skeptical of the hypothesis that Marfan's syndrome is the cause of its unusual habits (see below).

• High : As a child, Lincoln is tall, describing himself as "though very young, he is great his age." She reached adult height 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) no later than age 21.
• Weight : Though muscular as a young adult, she is always skinny. The evidence in question says that Lincoln weighed more than 200 pounds (90 kg) in 1831, but this is inconsistent with Henry Lee Ross's strict statement ("The facts are that Lincoln never weighed more than 175 pounds in his life"), David Turnham ("Weighs about 160 lbs in 1830"), and New Salem's neighbor is called Camron ("skinny like a beanpole and ugly like a scarecrow"). Lincoln's self-reported weight was 180 pounds (81.5 kg) in 1859. He is believed to have burdened even during his presidency.
• Marfan's Syndrome : Based on Lincoln's unusual physical appearance, Dr. Abraham Gordon proposed in 1962 that Lincoln had Marfan's syndrome. Lincoln DNA testing for Marfan syndrome was contemplated in the 1990s, but such a test was not performed.

The mediocre Lincoln's cardiovascular history and his normal visual acuity have been a major objection to the hypothesis, and geneticists today regard the diagnosis as unlikely.

• Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia : In 2007, Dr. John Sotos proposes that Lincoln has some endocrine neoplasia type 2b (MEN2B). This hypothesis shows Lincoln has all the major features of the disease: body shape like marfan, large lips, wavy, constipation, hypotonia, history compatible with cancer - the Sotos ascribes the deaths of Lincoln's son Eddie, Willie, and Tad, and perhaps his mother. The "Mole" on Lincoln's right cheek, the asymmetry of his face, his large jaw, his sagging eyelids, and "pseudo-depression" are also suggested as MEN2B manifestations. MEN2B is a genetic disorder, and it has recently been shown that Lincoln's biological mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, has many of the same unusual facial features as her son, as well as the marfanoid body habitus. Lincoln's long life is a major challenge to the MEN2B hypothesis: Lincoln lived long enough to be killed at age 56, while untreated MEN2B was generally understood as the cause of death by patients in the mid-thirties. However, there are cases reported by MEN2B patients that survive to the age of 50s without little or no treatment. Hypotheses can be proven by DNA testing.

More

The theory that Lincoln suffered from type 5 spinocerebellar ataxia is no longer acceptable. The theory that Lincoln's asymmetry is a manifestation of craniofacial microsomia has been replaced by a left frontal plagiocephaly sinostotic diagnosis, which is a type of craniosynostosis.

Maps Health of Abraham Lincoln

Mental health

Lincoln is described as suffering from "melancholy," a condition that modern mental health professionals would characterize as clinical depression.

During that time as an Illinois legislator, Joshua Speed ​​said Lincoln anonymously published a suicide poem in The Sangamo Journal; although he was not sure of the date, the suicide poem was published on August 25, 1838, making Lincoln 29 years old. The poem is called The Suicide's Soliloquy; historians are still divided on whether or not Lincoln is the author.

Whether he may suffer from depression as a genetic predisposition, as a reaction to the emotional trauma of his life, or a combination thereof is the subject of much current conjecture.

Lincoln experienced mood depression after major traumatic events, such as the death of Ann Rutledge in August 1835, the cessation of engagement (admittedly) to Mary Todd Lincoln in January 1841 (after which several close colleagues feared Lincoln's suicide), and after the Second Battle of Bull Run. However, it is not clear that each episode meets modern medical criteria for depression.

Mary Lincoln feels her husband is overconfident, and her sadness tends to strike when she is betrayed or unsupported by the people she trusts.

Lincoln often battled his melancholy mood by digging into humor, a healthy coping mechanism for his depression.

It has been suggested that Lincoln take the "blue mass" pill to improve his mood. However, there is no support for this in the written record. (See the "Drugs" section, below.)

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Drug

The memory of his colleagues Lincoln (John Stuart, Henry Whitney, Ward Lamon, and William Herndon) all agree that Lincoln took the blue mass pills because of constipation (constipation is a disturbing symptom in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2B, described above). The active ingredient of the blue mass is the element of mercury - a substance now known as neurotoxin in its steam state. Whether mercury poisoning might have influenced Lincoln's attitude before or after he discontinued its use in 1861 is unknown, but still remains the subject of conjecture by some historians. Lincoln's only known assessment of the drug is that it makes him "crossed" but he prefers it above the others.

In 1865, spoke with a Washington correspondent from the Pittsburgh Chronicle, Ny. Lincoln illustrates an example of where her husband's "regular drug", the mercury "blue pill" made her very sick. The correspondent recorded the interview as follows: Ny. Lincoln "given the fact that her husband had been severely ill, for several days, due to the effect of a dose of a blue pill taken just before the second inauguration." He said he was unwell, and appeared to ask for the usual medication, blue pill, he was sent to a drugstore where Harrold was hired last and got doses and gave them to him at night before bed, and the next morning his pallor scared him. 'His face,' he said, pointing to the bed next to where he sat, 'as white as the pillowcase, for lying there,' he exclaimed, putting his hand on the pillow - 'white, and like deadly white; when he tries to get up, he sinks back very calmly! 'He describes his anxiety to rise up, there is so much to do, and his tenacity and weakness in holding him in bed for several days; He said he and he both thought it odd that the pills would affect her that way; they had never done it before, and both concluded that they would no longer get the medicine there, because the clerk did not seem to understand the making of the recipe. "

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References

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Bibliography

Source of the article : Wikipedia