On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln’s life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet. We do not know how long he might have lived had he been spared. But in recent years there has been an increased interest about the President’s health and medical history. Some modern doctors feel he had the symptoms of genetic disease, heart disease, or even cancer. There is strong evidence he suffered from clinical depression. Some historians feel he was bipolar
Lincoln’s Father
The mental condition might have been inherited. According to Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of Lincoln’s Melancholy, his father Thomas Lincoln was subject to what neighbors called “the blues.” Thomas seems to have fought depression by being a very social man, keeping sadness at bay by telling jokes and stores. In later years his son would do the same. Lincoln’s uncle Mordecai was also subject to mood swings.
Abraham Lincoln’s Boyhood and Youth
Life on the Indiana frontier was hazardous. Life was hard, even primitive, on the farms where Lincoln was raised. The state of medical science left much to be desired. Most “cures” consisted on bleeding or letting blood or administering purgatives. Not that it mattered on the frontier—doctors were rare, and folk remedies replaced even the rudimentary medicine of the period.
Disease was ever-present. Lincoln’s mother Nancy Hanks died of the so-called milk sickness when Abe was nine. A few years later his sister Sarah died of the complications of childbirth after delivering a stillborn child. Young Abe’s health seems to have been good in these years, and he grew tall and strong. He did have one major accident, when he almost took his thumb off with an axe. In 1860, the sculptor Leonard Volk noticed the scar while doing casts of the future president’s hands
Abraham Lincoln and Marfan’s Syndrome
Scholars debate if Abraham Lincoln had Marfan’s Syndrome, a hereditary disease that affects bone growth and heart functions. Lincoln had very long legs, long arms, and a “sunken” chest, all characteristic of Marfan’s. But the evidence, short of a DNA test, is inconclusive.
Abraham Lincoln and Depression
There seems little doubt that Lincoln suffered from periodic bouts of clinical depression. In his early manhood there seems to have been little indication of any melanchony or overt sadness. In fact, when he lived in New Salem, Illinois, he was the most popular man in the small rural village. But soon periods of gloom darkened his usual sunny disposition. The first real sign of anything wrong was in 1835, when New Salem belle Ann Rutledge died. Some maintain he had a deep love for Ann, but in any case he excessively grieved for weeks. Some friends even feared for his sanity. He recovered, but very slowly.
Lincoln’s Engagement to Mary Todd
Perhaps the most serious depressive episode occurred when he broke off his engagement to Mary Todd in 1842. He plunged into the deepest despair, until his best friend Joshua Speed started to hide razors for fear he would hurt himself. He again recovered, and eventually married Miss Todd. Thereafter, he’d have periods of gloom or long, reflective silences, when he would not talk to anyone. “Your silence is remarkably soothing,” Mary once said when they were entertaining guests, “but we are not ready for sleep yet.” Everyone, even Lincoln, laughed.
Lincoln’s Health in the White House
The burdens of the presidency left their mark on Lincoln. He aged rapidly, lost weight, and suffered excessive fatigue. Constipation—an old malady even before the Civil war—bothered him. Some say he showed symptoms of heart disease in the last months before his assassination. Again, the evidence some 145 years after the fact is inconclusive.
Abraham Lincoln’s Depression and the Presidency
Ultimately Lincoln’s health and mental problems were, at least according to some, a spur to his greatness. He became a more compassionate person, but also one who wanted to make a mark in the world, and perhaps make it better. He could have done away with himself, but he had “an irrepressible desire to accomplish something—to connect his name with the great events of his generation.”
Sources:
Joshua Wolf Shenk, Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled his Greatness (Houghton Mifflin, 2005)
Stephen Oates, With malice Towards None: A life of Abraham Lincoln (Harper Perennial, 1994)
Eric Niderost - Eric Niderost teaches U.S. and California history at Chabot Community College in California. As a freelancer he has 300 published magazine ...
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