Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 am on the morning of April 15, 1865. The final chapter in Lincoln: The Fire of Genius is called “Assassination Science.” It starts this way:
Dr. Charles Leale examined the fallen president and knew immediately the wound was mortal. Twenty-three years old and only six weeks after receiving his medical degree from Bellevue Hospital Medical College, Leale found himself in charge of the shocking murder scene. He had been sitting in the dress circle at Ford’s Theatre when “about half past ten…the report of a pistol was distinctly heard and about a minute after a man of low stature with black hair and eyes was seen leaping to the stage beneath, holding in his hand a drawn dagger.” Rushing to the Presidential Box, Leale observed Lincoln “in a state of general paralysis.” Lincoln’s labored breath was intermittent, no pulse could be detected, and he was “profoundly comatose.”
But where was the wound? Initially Leale searched for a knife wound because Major Henry Rathbone, who had been accompanying the president and Mrs. Lincoln with his fiancé Clara Harris, was bleeding profusely from a slash along his left arm. Finding none and noticing Lincoln had stopped breathing and his pupils were dilated, Leale probed for a head wound and “found clotted blood on the head about an inch and a half behind the left ear.” After clearing the clot, there was “a sudden spasmodic gasp of breath,” after which Lincoln again breathed intermittently and noisily. Lincoln’s autonomic nervous system was keeping him alive for the time being, but the clock was already ticking.
From here, I delve into his autopsy, but also his history of disease (including bouts with malaria and a mild case of smallpox following the Gettysburg Address), his visits with chiropodist Issachar Zacharie to shave his corns, the autopsy of John Wilkes Booth, the growth of embalming science, and some really cool glowing bodies on the battlefield. The chapter ends with the continuing inquisition in which modern day doctors and Lincoln geeks can’t seem to let his body rest, metaphorically probing him for clues on genetic diseases and cancer diagnoses.
What is undeniable is that Lincoln continues to be a source of scientific fascination all these years after his death.
There is much more in the book, of course, now available for pre-order.
Pre-order Lincoln: The Fire of Genius now on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (click on the respective links to pre-order). The price is likely to drop before the final shipment, and any pre-orders will automatically get charged the lower price at fulfillment. Pre-ordering now helps the publisher get a sense of the interest, which could mean a bigger print run. So please go ahead and pre-order without worries. While you’re there, check out my other books.
The book is also listed on Goodreads, the database where I keep track of my reading. Click on the “Want to Read” button to put it on your reading list. That will also ensure you get informed of the release date AND will let you try for one of ten free hardcover copies of the book that I’ll be giving away this summer. I’ll also be giving away as many as a hundred e-books. [The book will also be put out on audio]
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David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
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[Photo from Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL. For the history behind the discovery of the photo, read here: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/news/rietveld.htm]
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