A Scientist Explained Why Mary Todd Lincoln’s Behavior Was So Strange
Mary Todd Lincoln was apparently a little wild in her day. It’s said, for instance, that she spent money frivolously. If the history books are to be believed, she also went through moody episodes that sometimes ended in public outbursts. Not the conduct we expect from a first lady! But one man says he understands why Mary was so eccentric. And according to him, her bizarre, often alienating behavior had nothing to do with a bad attitude.
Questionable sanity
While Mary was still alive, no one could quite understand why she behaved in such a peculiar way. Sadly, she also suffered from depressive episodes and violent mood swings, and these bouts of ill health may have led some to call her insane. Mary’s eldest son, Robert, even had her institutionalized at one point later in her life. It was a sensitive subject, having a first lady on the precipice of madness, but it was also a matter that intrigued a number of physicians.
Potential causes
Since then, generations of experts have speculated about what caused Mary’s unhappiness. In particular, they have wondered if certain physical symptoms of hers – including pale skin and intense headaches – had something to do with what was going on inside her mind. But one Dr. John Soros claimed he had the answer. And his theory linked all of the first lady’s issues to a single diagnosis. This idea encapsulated the most tragic events of her life.
Rough beginnings
While in her native Lexington, Kentucky, Mary had an idyllic childhood – at least during her earliest years. Her mother, Eliza, cared for her children, while her father, Robert, provided well for the family by running a local shop. But the birth of the sixth child, George, proved to be too much for Eliza’s body. And while doctors came to the Todd household, they couldn’t do anything to help. Mary’s mother died in 1825 at just 31 years old.
Dealing with Loss
Even though she was just six years old at the time, Mary was left completely devastated by the loss of her beloved mother. To make matters even more dire, her father became engaged to a woman named Elizabeth “Betsey” Humphreys within a mere six months of Eliza’s death. And, sadly, Betsey apparently had no interest in helping to raise Mary and the other kids. A negligent new mother would have been one thing, but this outsider proved to be worse.
