Lincoln Letter to John Stuart

[wsanto]

(02-01-2013 01:03 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Thank you, Bill. Here is a description from a fellow attorney. Would this fit your overall diagnosis for Lincoln?

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Jonathan Birch said of Lincoln in court, "His eyes would sparkle with fun, and when he had reached the point in his narrative which invariably evoked the laughter of the crowd, nobody's enjoyment was greater than his. An hour later he might be seen in the same place or in some law office near by, but, alas, how different! His chair, no longer in the center of the room, would be leaning back against the wall; his feet drawn up and resting on the front rounds so that his knees and chair were about on a level; his hat tipped slightly forward as if to shield his face; his eyes no longer sparkling with fun or merriment, but sad and downcast and his hands clasped around his knees. There, drawn up within himself as it were, he would sit, the very picture of dejection and gloom. Thus absorbed have I seen him sit for hours at a time defying the interruption of even his closest friends. No one ever thought of breaking the spell by speech; for by his moody silence and abstraction he had thrown about him a barrier so dense and impenetrable no one dared to break through. It was a strange picture and one I have never forgotten."

Seems like a perfect example of someone confusing an introspective or introverted moment with sadness and gloom. Perhaps it was gloom, but it is just as likely he was organizing his thoughts on a particular matter or daydreaming in a very deep and dedicated sense or just epmtying his mind completely.

Melancholics are often very functional and driven and social as opposed to the clinically depressed who struggle to find the energy or the will to complete their tasks.