[>] Affecting more than 100 million people: These statistics are drawn from Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (Rockville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999); Michael Hogan, keynote address, Nineteenth Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, 4; and Gregg Easterbrook, The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse (New York: Random House, 2003), 163–66.
“peculiar misfortune”: AL to Joshua F. Speed, February 25, 1842, CWL, vol. 1, 280.
1. THE COMMUNITY SAID HE WAS CRAZY
[>] the principal factors: S. Nassir Ghaemi, The Concepts of Psychiatry: A Pluralistic Approach to the Mind and Mental Illness (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003), 216.
a person who has: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV (Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 1994, 342.
His parents: See the portraits of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln in Mark Neely, The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982), 184, 187.
[>] “was kindness, mildness, tenderness”: John Hanks, interview with WHH, 1865–66, Herndon’s Informants, 454.
“intellectual, sensitive and somewhat sad”: WHH to Jesse W. Weik, January 19, 1886, Hidden Lincoln, 139.
“to border on the serious—reflective”: Thomas L. D. Johnston, interview with WHH, 1866, Herndon’s Informants, 533.
“often got the ‘blues’”: Robert H. Browne, Abraham Lincoln and the Men of His Time: His Cause, His Character, and True Place in History, and the Men, Statesmen, Heroes, Patriots, Who Formed the Illustrious League about Him, 2 vols. (Chicago: Blakely-Oswald, 1907), vol. 1, 82–83.
“a deranged mind”: William H. Townsend, Lincoln and the Bluegrass: Slavery and Civil War in Kentucky (Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1955), 19, citing Lincoln v. O’Nan et al., December 10,1810, file 215, Fayette Circuit Court.
mood swings: Berenice V. Lovely to William E. Barton, June 26, 1921, Barton Papers.
strong physical resemblance: William E. Barton, “Why Lincoln Was Sad,” Dearborn Independent, August 28, 1926, 22.
“Lincoln characteristics”: A. R. Simmons to William E. Barton, March 7, 1923, Barton Papers.
Mary Jane Lincoln: Admissions Book, Illinois Hospital for the Insane, Record #2715, May 23, 1867, Illinois State Archives. The complete record reads, “Mary J. Lincoln / Hancock County Aged 39—Single—native of Kentucky / Insane thirteen years—Cause unknown/Not thought to be hereditary—Not suicidal / Her father was cousin to Abraham Lincoln and she has features much like his / Parmelia Lincoln (sis) Carthage.” In the margin it reads, “August 30/88 . . . Sent to LaHarpe / Telegraph to Hezekiah Lincoln—La Harpe, Hancock Co. Ills.”
“the disease is with her hereditary”: The jury’s findings are given on a printed form, with blank spaces for the particulars of the case, which have been written in by hand (shown here in italics): “We, the undersigned, Jurors in the case of Mary Jane Lincoln alleged to be insane, having heard the evidence in the case, are satisfied that said Mary Jane Lincoln is insane, and is a fit person to be sent to the Illinois State Hospital for the Insane; that she is a resident of the State of Illinois and County of Hancock; that her disease is of thirteen years duration; that the cause is supposed to be—no cause made known to the Jury; that the disease is with her hereditary; that she is NOT subject to Epilepsy, and that she is free from vermin, or any infectious disease, and that she is not a pauper, and that these proceedings are had in strict accordance with the Statutes of the State of Illinois relating to the Insane.” Hancock County Court, “Verdict of Jury in the Matter of Mary Jane Lincoln Alleged to Be Insane,” May 17, 1867, Illinois State Archives.
“suffered from all the nervous disorders known”: Berenice V. Lovely to W. A. Evans, April 21, 1921, Barton Papers.
[>] “the Lincoln horrors”: Berenice V. Lovely to William E. Barton, May 14, 1922, Barton Papers. “Family historian” is my term for Lovely, not an official designation.
“The genes confer only susceptibility”: Ghaemi, The Concepts of Psychiatry, 217. climate and diet. Jennifer Radden, The Nature of Melancholy: From Aristotle to Kristeva (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 65.
harsh life events: David B. Cohen, Out of the Blue: Depression and Human Nature (New York: W. W. Norton, 1994), 36.
Lincoln’s early life: The best sources on Lincoln’s childhood are his own autobiographical sketches. See AL to Jesse W. Fell, enclosing autobiography, December 20, 1859, CWL, vol. 3, 511–12, and AL, “Autobiography Written for John L. Scripps,” c. June 1860, CWL, vol. 4, 60–68.
Eventually, the disease: Neely, The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia, 184.
“No announcement strikes the members”: Louis A. Warren, Lincoln’s Youth: Indiana
Years, Seven to Twenty-one, 1816–1830 (New York: Appleton, 1959), 52.
“When the individual”: James Maxwell, Jr., A Memoir of the Diseases Called by the People the Trembles and the Sick Stomach or the Milk Sickness As They Appear in the Virginia Military District in the State of Ohio (Louisville, 1841), 16.
[>] For two to six months: Burlingame, The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln, 95.
dirty and poorly clothed: A. H. Chapman to WHH, September 8, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 99.
“sad, if not pitiful”: While on his way to see his stepmother in 1861, Lincoln “became more or less reminiscent,” recalled Augustus H. Chapman, who accompanied him, “adverting frequently to family affairs. He spoke in the most affectionate way of his stepmother, characterizing her as the best friend he ever had. He alluded to the sad, if not pitiful condition of his father’s family at the time of the marriage to his stepmother and described the wholesome change in the children due to her encouragement and advice.” Jesse W. Weik, The Real Lincoln: A Portrait (Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1922), 293.
Sarah Lincoln had a sharp mind: John Hanks to Jesse W. Weik, June 12, 1887, Herndon’s Informants, 615. For a biography of Sarah Lincoln, see Neely, The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia, 130.
gave birth to a stillborn child: A. H. Chapman to WHH, September 8, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 100.
“We went out and told Abe”: Warren, Lincoln’s Youth, 82.
his father helped him along: Allen C. Guelzo, Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Erdmans, 1999), 34.
“Abe read all the books”: Sarah Bush Lincoln, interview with WHH, September 8, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 107.
For generations, Lincoln men: The definitive genealogical source on Lincoln’s ancestors is Waldo Lincoln, History of the Lincoln Family: An Account of the Descendants of Samuel Lincoln of Hingham, Massachusetts, 1637–1920 (Worcester, Mass.: Commonwealth Press, 1923).
[>] “Lincoln was lazy”: Dennis Hanks, interview with WHH, September 8, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 104.
Lower levels of support. See, for example, Benjamin Shaw et al., “Emotional Support from Parents Early in Life, Aging, and Health,” Psychology and Aging 19, no. 1 (2004): 4–12.
one out of four infants died: Facts on mortality in Lincoln’s time are drawn from Kenneth J. Winkle, The Young Eagle: The Rise of Abraham Lincoln (Dallas: Taylor Trade Publications, 2001), 14–15, and “Public Health and Technology During the 19th Century,” Institute for Learning Technologies, Columbia University, www.ilt.columbia.edu/projects/bluetelephone/html/health.html, March 31, 2005.
He spent a lot of time alone: Sarah Bush Lincoln, interview with WHH, September 8, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 108.
“Lincoln would Chide us”: Nathaniel Grigsby, interview with WHH, September 12, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 114.
“contending that an ants life”: Matilda Johnston Moore, interview with WHH, September 8, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 109.
mounted a stump: ibid., 110.
[>] would flock around him: Nathaniel Grigsby, interview with WHH, September 12, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 114.
no money or connections: Lincoln famously described himself at this ti
me as a “strange, friendless, uneducated, penniless boy.” AL to Martin S. Morris, March 26, 1843, CWL, vol. 1, 320.
a wrestling match: For a detailed account of this episode, see Douglas L. Wilson, Honor’s Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln (New York: Knopf, 1998), 1943.
when he recited the poetry: John McNamar to WHH, November 25, 1866, Herndon’s Informants, 420.
Lincoln looked like a yokel: James Short to WHH, July 7, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 72.
“He became popular”: Jason Duncan to WHH, late 1866–early 1867, Herndon’s Informants, 539.
“mainly due to his personal popularity”: John T. Stuart, interview with John G. Nicolay, June 23, 1875, An Oral History, 10—11.
“a success which gave me more pleasure”: AL to Jesse W. Fell, enclosing autobiography, December 20, 1859, CWL, vol. 3, 512.
“I never saw Mr Lincoln”: George M. Harrison to WHH, late summer 1866?, Herndon’s Informants, 330.
“Certainly, he was the best natured”: Elizabeth Abell to WHH, February 15, 1867, Herndon’s Informants, 556—57.
[>] “Boys, if that is all”: J. Rowan Herndon to WHH, May 28, 1865, in Herndon’s Informants, 8.
Lincoln won the election easily: Wilson, Honor’s Voice, 151.
“the secrets of that science”: Ted Widmer, Martin Van Buren (New York: Times Books, 2005), 32—33.
all but five percent of the men: Winkle, The Young Eagle, 131; table, 122.
“studied with nobody”: AL, “Autobiography Written for John L. Scripps,” c. June 1860, CWL, vol. 3, 65.
“all his folks”: L. M. Greene, interview with James Quay Howard, May 1860, Lincoln Papers, vol. 1,156.
“Mr. Lincoln believed”: O. H. Browning, interview with John G. Nicolay, June 17, 1875, An Oral History, 6—7.
“Every man is said to have”: AL, “Communication to the People of Sangamo County,” March 9, 1832, CWL, vol. 1, 8—9.
[>] Seeing him despondent. Jason Duncan to WHH, late 1866–early 1867, Herndon’s Informants, 540.
“procured bread, and kept soul and body together”: AL, “Autobiography Written for John L. Scripps,” c. June 1860, CWL, vol. 3, 65.
“let the whole thing go”: James Short to WHH, July 7, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 74.
“somewhat injured his health”: Mentor Graham, interview with WHH, May 29, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 11.
“read hard—day and night”: Isaac Cogdal, interview with WHH, 1865—66, Herndon’s Informants, 441.
“He became emaciated”: Henry McHenry, interview with WHH, May 29, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 14.
[>] Lincoln visited her often: See, for example, John Jones, statement for WHH, October 22, 1866, in Herndon’s Informants, 387.
the weather turned cold: William Petersen, Lincoln-Douglas: The Weather As Destiny (Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas, 1943), 62—64.
he couldn’t bear the idea: Elizabeth Abell to WHH, February 15, 1867, Herndon’s Informants, 557.
“As to the condition”: Henry McHenry to WHH, January 8, 1866, Herndon’s Informants, 155.
“told Me that he felt”: Mentor Graham, interview with WHH, April 2, 1866, Herndon’s Informants, 242.
“Mr Lincolns friends”: William G. Greene, interview with WHH, May 30, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 21.
“Lincoln was locked up”: Hardin Bale, interview with WHH, May 29, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 13.
“That was the time”: Elizabeth Abell to WHH, February 15, 1867, Herndon’s Informants, 557.
The myths and countermyths: A recent treatment of the Ann Rutledge affair is John Evangelist Walsh, The Shadows Rise: Abraham Lincoln and the Ann Rutledge Legend (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993).
[>] “The effect upon Mr Lincoln’s mind”: Robert B. Rutledge to WHH, c. November 1, 1866, Herndon’s Informants, 383.
“I did not know”: James Short to WHH, July 7, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 73.
“It’s not the large things”: Cohen, Out of the Blue, 76, citing Charles Bukowski, “The Shoelace.”
“Lincoln bore up”: John Hill to WHH, June 6, 1865, Herndon’s Informants, 23.
[>] “quite melancholy for months”: George U. Miles to WHH, March 23, 1866, Herndon’s Informants, 236.
a major depressive episode: DSM, 320–27.
“What helps make the case”: Kay Redfield Jamison, interview with author, October 6, 1998.
typical age for a first episode: S. Nassir Ghaemi, interview with author, March 11, 2004.
[>] “Most of the Marfanologists”: Victor A. McKusick, interview with author, October 18, 2000. The Marfan story came to prominence with an article by Harold Schwartz, “Abraham Lincoln and the Marfan Syndrome,” Journal of the American Medical Association 187, no. 7 (February 15, 1964): 473–79. For the contrary view, see John K. Lattimer, “Lincoln Did Not Have the Marfan Syndrome,” New York State Journal of Medicine 81 (November 1981): 1805–13. The leading Lincoln scholar Gabor Boritt, with Adam Boritt, once weighed in with a paper titled “The President Who Was to Die in 1866,” but the question remains open in many minds. McKusick, with others, has long wanted to conduct a DNA test, which would almost certainly answer the question. But he hasn’t been granted permission to work with what he considers the “gold standard” samples of Lincoln’s DNA, which are controlled by the National Museum of Health and Medicine, an agency of the Department of Defense. For an account of the DNA debate, see Philip R. Reilly, Abraham Lincoln’s DNA and Other Adventures in Genetics (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2002), 3–13. More interesting than the Marfan question, Reilly argues, is whether a DNA test might establish Lincoln’s vulnerability to depression.
At least one study: Karen Wolk, e-mail to author, December 17, 2004. Wolk referred me to K. F. Peters et al., “Living with Marfan Syndrome II: Medication Adherence and Physical Activity Modification,” Clinical Genetics 60 (2001): 283–92, and K. F. Peters et al., “Living with Marfan Syndrome III: Quality of Life and Productive Planning,” Clinical Genetics 62 (2002): 110–20.
what psychiatrists call hypomania: “A Hypomanic Episode is defined as a distinct period during which there is an abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood that lasts at least 4 days . . . This period of abnormal mood must be accompanied by at least three additional symptoms from a list that includes inflated self-esteem or grandiosity (nondelusional), decreased need for sleep, pressure of speech, flight of ideas, distractability, increased involvement in goal-directed activities or psychomotor agitation, and excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences. If the mood is irritable rather than elevated or expansive, at least four of the above symptoms must be present.” DSM, 335.
alternate between depressed: ibid., 337.
“he appeared to enjoy life rapturously”: Robert L. Wilson to WHH, February 10, 1866, Herndon’s Informants, 205. Sadly, Wilson doesn’t date his conversation with Lincoln, but he indicates that Lincoln’s practice of forbearing to carry a knife was of no small duration. Lincoln kept up the practice, Wilson said, “as long as I was intimately acquainted with him” and “previous to his commencement of the practice of the law.” Lincoln didn’t begin to practice law until March 1837, eighteen months after Ann Rutledge died.
[>] more than half will have a second: DSM, 341.
major depressive disorder: ibid., 339.
two episodes of major depression: ibid., 342.
The phrase “clinical depression”: Clinical depression is a catch phrase meaning a depression significant enough to merit diagnosis or treatment by a clinician. The term does not appear in the DSM-IV description of depressive disorders.
[>] “In virtually any other”: William Styron, Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness (New York: Random House, 1990), 44.
Florence Nightingale: “Ailment of Nurse Nightingale Is Diagnosed,” Associated Press, May 3, 2003.
“epidemic hysteria, with conversi
on symptoms”: David M. Harley, “Explaining Salem: Calvinist Psychology and the Diagnosis of Possession,” American Historical Review 110, no. 2 (April 1996): 329.
“life story” perspective: Ghaemi, The Concepts of Psychiatry, 14.
“To restore the human subject”: Oliver Sacks, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (New York: Vintage, 1996), xviii–xix.
[>] “alterations in thinking, mood”: The full definitions: “Mental health—the successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, and the ability to adapt to change and to cope with adversity; from early childhood until late life, mental health is the springboard of thinking and communication skills, learning, emotional growth, resilience, and self-esteem. Mental illness—the term that refers collectively to all mental disorders. Mental disorders are health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/ or impaired functioning.” Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General—Executive Summary (Rockville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999), vii.
2. A FEARFUL GIFT
[>] “melancholy resentment”: Stanley Crouch, “Black Like Huck: Revisiting Twain in the Age of Oprah,” New York Times Magazine, June 6, 1999.
“melancholy suspicion”: Andrew Delbanco, The Real American Dream: A Meditation on Hope (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999), 23.
“the agony and sweat”: William Faulkner, acceptance speech, Nobel Prize in literature, Stockholm, Sweden, December 10, 1950, http://nobelprize.org/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-speech.html, March 27, 2005.
“Why is it that all men”: Radden, The Nature of Melancholy, 57, citing Aristotle (or a follower of Aristotle), “Problems Connected with Thought, Intelligence, and Wisdom,” in Problems (c. second century B.C.E.)
[>] The sorrowful, existentially anxious: Radden, The Nature of Melancholy, 48.
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