Mary Todd Lincoln had issues, some think it was due to her being a female it wasn't this may be the answer

Mary Todd Lincoln must have been an extremely strong person, mentally to be able to withstand the

She had a tough life, misunderstood?
More than likely she was. 

tragedies she experienced during her lifetime. Her behavior was not always flattering to the manner a "First Lady" was suppose to be. She had a violent temper, went on extravagant shopping sprees (she owned 300 pairs of gloves). She suffered from depression, she had an unnatural fear of home break ins, fear of storms and poverty. Eventually she was committed to a mental hospital for several months, due to the urging of her son. Wikipedia's bio of Mary Todd Lincoln click here.
  As is the case today whenever a top political personality has an affliction of any sort, much speculation as well as theories ran wild. Such was the case with Mary Lincoln, she was bipolar, had syphilis, "feminine madness" (dealing with female life cycles each month), narcissistic, spoiled and some said she never recovered from hitting her head on a rock many years before. Some speculated she lost her mind due to the death of her three sons and the assassination of President Lincoln. The remarkable thing is that the rumors persist to this day, however there is a new much more plausible explanation.
  Dr. John G. Soto's technology executive (and medical consultant) at Intel is interested in difficult diagnosis's. While writing a book about Abraham Lincoln investigating if he had a genetic issue that caused thyroid and adrenal gland cancer, he came across a letter in which she (Mrs. Lincoln) mentioned a sore mouth. He began to look into her health, he knew a lack of vitamin B will cause mouth lesions. To explain her many problems both mental and physical  he suspected  the disease "Pernicious anemia", caused by a vitamin B deficiency. Vitamin B in the human body is used to make DNA, lack of B trumps the ability to build red blood cells affecting every organ in the human body, as well as the brain and nervous system. It is an extremely rare disease today, but it was not in the days prior to and for a short period after the Civil War. Whenever the human body is lacking a nutrient a long list of symptoms is often created, sometimes suggesting there is one underlying problem. Her symptoms weakness, fatigue, fevers, headaches, rapid heart beat, swelling of her hands and face, unexplained weight loss,  eye trouble and pale skin color, irritability, delusions and hallucinations are all symptoms of Pernicious anemia. Even her physical traits were evidence of her lack of Vitamin B, Stocky, wide face, wide jaw and wide set eyes (blue, how we came to have blue eyes is an interesting story as well) it's not known why physical traits are symptomatic of the disease. Dr. Soto's sees her now as "simply a woman with a biochemically injured mind." (Direct quote).

We don't always see our selves as acting oddly, that's when we
need some help. 

Although impossible to prove, it is another attempt to explain her behavior. Several well regarded medical historians believe Dr. Soto's may have figured out this mystery. Mary Todd Lincoln died in France on July 16, 1882 at the age of 63. In today's world a simple blood test can detect the deficiency, not in the years up to and after the Civil War.
  A staff member at Massachusetts General Hospital, James Jackson Minot was the grandson of  the "Professor of the Theory and Practice of Physic at Harvard." In 1921 his health declined, he suffered from diabetes, in 1923 insulin was made available, saving his life. Mean while in San Francisco, George Howe Whipple was experimenting with how different foods affect hemoglobin production in animals. He discovered liver and spinach increased hemoglobin production in the marrow of animal bones. With that knowledge, Minot began a diet of beef liver, 1/2 pound a day, he had a hard time getting patients to eat the correct amount. It took three years until he finally was able to ascertain the results. Many patients would show great improvement after just a few days, it was the cure. In 1948 Vitamin B 12 was identified and found to be the culprit. An extremely common disease up until 1948 when the cure was found was reduced to being an extremely rare disease today.  Click here for health.gov diet guidelines.
  What you may ask does this have to do with disaster preparations or self reliance? The answer is that there have been many diseases that were common before the advent of multi-vitamins. Scurvy, iron anemia and pernicious anemia being just three. Will they ever return, I think they can, I don't know if they will. If our society ever enters a period of  food shortages I think they can return, however if we are conscience of the historic record of disease we may be able to use natural cures. For example vitamin C binds iron to your blood, valuable to know for people with anemia and the less heralded "Hemochromotosis" iron over load. Vitamin B is created in plants and animals, the human body does not create it. Vegetarians are susceptible to contracting the disease, however in modern times B 12 is an additive in many foods, making the likely hood remote.

1/2 pound of beef liver every day would be a heavy lift for most
people, balanced meals are the preferred way to go. 

  My intent with this blog is to raise awareness just a little bit, sometimes that's all that is needed. Mary Todd Lincoln lived a life full of challenges and heart break, her disease compounded those. She was much ridiculed for her behavior which was most likely out of her control, unfortunately her behavior dictated her treatment by others. That's a common human trait, if someone is acting in a bizarre fashion, they must be at fault themselves. On the other hand if we just pause and say to ourselves "maybe he/she has an easily curable mental issue, we may be more compassionate towards them. For hints on how to communicate with someone in a mental health crisis click here.
  Thanks for reading, I hope you found this interesting, comments are always welcome.

jimandkate   EmergencyKitsPlus.com