Mary's Reputation

[RJNorton]

Hi Bill. I can answer that in one sentence.

There was no autopsy or even any kind of post mortem examination of her body.

There has been some interesting research on her cause of death. For example, there is the research of Dr. Norbert Hirschhorn and the late Dr. Robert Feldman on this subject. Their research indicates Mary died of tabes dorsalis which is a condition that results from the destruction of the dorsal columns in the spinal cord, normally responsible for position sense. Loss of position sense causes severe gait and leg ataxia (balance and motor control problems). The authors state that tabes dorsalis can be the result of diabetes, spinal cord injury, or infection (syphilis). In 1863 Mary was involved in a serious carriage accident, and at the age of 60, in Pau, France, Mary took a fall from a stepladder and injured her spinal cord. Tabes dorsalis results in a staggering wide-based gait, postural instability, pain, and paresthesias.

For details on this research please see "Mary Lincoln's Final Illness: A Medical and Historical Reappraisal" in the Journal of the History of Medicine (Oxford University Press, Volume 54, October 1999, pp 511-542).