Mary Todd Lincoln Retried for Sanity

As you all know from history, Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of Abraham Lincoln. During that fateful April 15th 1865 day when President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, it caused Mrs. Lincoln to be declared legally insane. The woman has been dead for many years and the matter seemed closed.

Or so it seemed. It appears one hundred and thirty years after the fact Mary Todd Lincoln has passed away, the Illinois Supreme Court may be give her another medical evaluation post-death. More modern standards of evaluating the sanity of an individual will be applied. Mrs. Lincoln was committed for a brief time but was she committed due to just cause?

Naturally, what we know now in the year 2012 and what we knew in the 19th century is night and day. Medical science has come a long way. Especially when evaluating the mental illness should it be present of an individual. There are advances in medical science far beyond what we knew years and years ago. Medicine has been improved that can allow the afflicted to live rather comfortable and peaceful lives. Therapy has come a long way.

It seems evident seeing her husband shot right before her eyes did a number on Mary Todd Lincoln. She may have suffered with what could be diagnosed as post-traumatic disorder. Similar to veterans of war who have seen a lot of death and destruction. Obviously by a more modern medical standard, perhaps treatment would have been easier. Yet in the 1860s and 1870s, such advances did not really exist.

The real question is why bring this matter up now. It seems like a folly and really just a waste of time and resources. Whether or not Mary Todd Lincoln could truly be considered legally insane should be best left up to historians. The Illinois Supreme Court will hold "a trial" dressed in period clothes. Again, given the state of the economy in Illinois, is this really the type of thing we should waste money on?

The death of her husband right before her likely would do some damage. Whether or not, this is relevant in 2012, could be left up to historians. However, to dig it up after the fact is rather irrelevant.