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.
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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]
Abraham Lincoln once advised in the prosecution of Isaac Wyant, who had his arm amputated after being shot in a border dispute with Anson Rusk. Following his recovery, Wyant sought out and shot Rusk four times, then pleaded not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. Lincoln’s old friend Leonard Swett was on the side of the defense.
On March 23, 1860, one of Lincoln’s more famous cases came to trial in the U.S. District Court. Johnston v. Jones & Marsh, more commonly known as the Sand Bar case, was important both because of its subject matter (it highlighted Lincoln’s experience with technology) and because, in an age where trial transcripts were almost never kept, journalist Robert Hitt was paid to sit through the entire trial and create a comprehensive 482-page trial transcript, although he omitted the closing arguments.
Abraham Lincoln spent much of his day on March 9, 1862 fretting over the battle of the ironclads. The Union ironclad Monitor had fought to a draw with the Confederate ironclad Virginia (former the USS Merrimack) at Hampton Roads, Virginia. The Virginia had been created from the burnt out hull of the Merrimack, left behind at Gosport Navy Yard at the beginning of the war after the state of Virginia seceded. The Merrimack was converted by the Confederate Navy into a seemingly indestructible metallic monster soon to prey on Union ships. Even though the ship was now officially the Virginia, the alliteration of Monitor and Merrimack (and the end of the Confederacy) means most people refer to the ship by its former name, both then and now.*
Abraham Lincoln had a knack for meeting Arctic explorers. On March 1, 1862, Lincoln wrote to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton:
On February 15, 1853, Abraham Lincoln wrote to 
Abraham Lincoln rejects gift of elephants from Siam by pointing out the advantages of steam power. Lincoln would promote many scientific and technological improvements in his lifetime and his presidency.
As mentioned last time, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius is now open for pre-order on 
