Mary's Reputation

[L Verge]

I was not familiar with that book on Mary's addictions either, but I did do a search and read excerpts from it. It certainly sounds very interesting and is written from the perspective of an author whose background is in addictive rehabilitation.

That said, I think the author may be reaching a tad too far in order to make a 21st-century case out of 19th-century habits. I certainly agree that opium and various derivatives thereof were quite prevalent during the Lincolns' era. I also suspect that Mary did receive certain medications with addictive tendencies. However, I also suspect that, if indeed this is true, it would have occurred in the years after her husband's death, when she had little to hold her together.

Some questions I might have are: Would her motherly instincts to care for Tad during his illness have "allowed" her to succumb to addiction? Would her sister and brother-in-law have allowed her to be an addicted user while under their roof? Wouldn't some loose-lipped druggist or supplier somewhere have spilled the beans? Wouldn't the medical evidence have shown up at least when she was committed to Batavia?