Madness of Mary Lincoln

[kerry]

(11-12-2017 12:55 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(11-12-2017 12:06 PM)kerry Wrote:  but I think she probably did die of diabetes

That certainly is a possibility. Last year Dr. Blaine Houmes of this forum wrote the following excellent summary:

"There is no consensus of what Mary Todd Lincoln died from. You could easily attribute it to myxedema coma (from hypothyroid disease), diabetic coma, stroke caused by high blood pressure with or without brain bleeding, syphilis, etc., etc., etc. The "mental peculiarities" could be explained by slurring of speech or talking gibberish, delusional behavior, and even varied stages of confusion. Interestingly, those suggesting she had tabes dorsalis (syphilis of the spinal cord) due to her gait degenerating with symptoms of back pain and stiff gait--labeling it locomotor ataxia which at that time was a synonym for syphilis--should be able to explain why her gait and weakness weren't from the partial paralysis and numbness she suffered after an 1879 fall from a ladder in France, causing injury to her back? Osteoarthritis in the back with or without trauma can cause the same symptoms. Plus, syphilis of the back usually starts earlier in life and has a characteristic gait with high-stepping and then slapping the ground with their feet due to loss of feeling."

Yeah, high blood pressure also seems like a good candidate. She lived too long for syphilis and most dementias. I think her issues were caused by a mix of physical and mental complications and no one thing explains it. Infections were also untreated back then. I feel like the effect of high fevers is often ignored when talking about this era. Malaria or infection could easily make someone delusional or cause vivid dreams. Some biographers question their subject's frequent illnesses, but I think many were actually pretty sick pretty often. It's not something that can be easily compared to today.