Health of Abraham Lincoln

Health Challenges

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, had many health problems during his life. Until middle age, he was usually healthy, but he did get very sick sometimes. In 1830 and again in 1835, he got very ill with malaria. Later, in 1863, during a sickness outbreak in Washington, D.C., he caught smallpox.

Lincoln also felt deep sadness and had times of depression. Doctors at that time gave him pills called blue mass with mercury in them, and some think this may have made him even sicker. Some historians wonder if he had rare genetic conditions like Marfan syndrome or Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B. His health story shows us the kinds of challenges leaders faced long ago.

Health and trauma

Lincoln's health was generally good until he got older. When he was nine, a horse kicked him in the head, and he lost consciousness for several hours. He also had other injuries, like almost cutting off his thumb with an axe and getting frostbite on his feet.

Lincoln had malaria twice, once in 1830 and again in 1835. The second time, he was very sick and had to stay with a neighbor for care. In 1863, while giving a speech, he became very ill with a disease that affected his daily life and limited who he could meet.

Main article: William Henry Johnson (valet) § Smallpox

Genetic disorder theories

Some people have wondered if Abraham Lincoln's health was getting worse before he passed away. They looked at old photos that seem to show he lost weight and his muscles got smaller. There are ideas that he might have had rare genetic conditions called multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B or Marfan syndrome.

In 1962, a doctor thought Lincoln might have had Marfan syndrome because of how he looked. Later, in 2007, another idea came up that he could have had MEN2B. This idea pointed to things like his body shape and some health issues he had. However, since Lincoln lived until he was 56 and MEN2B usually causes serious problems much earlier, many think this idea doesn’t fit well.

Debunked theories

Some people thought Abraham Lincoln had a disease called syphilis around 1835. But doctors studied the facts and said he did not have it. They think the worries about this disease back then were like how people today worry about some illnesses.

Another idea was that Lincoln had a condition called spinocerebellar ataxia, but doctors no longer believe this is true either.