Maladies and Conditions

This style... ... means the event occurred while President.



severe headaches Violent headache for two days after behaving awkwardly in front of a girl he fancied (March 1764, age 20);

Six week headache after his mother's death on March 31, 1776;

Six weeks of headache soon after arriving, unhappy and homesick, as minister to France in 1785;

While overburdened as Secretary of State, headaches recurred when he learned that a friend had become ill, but recovered (April 1790);

About this time he had a second set of headaches, lasting from sunrise to sunset each day for 6 weeks. Bumgarner concludes these were a form of cluster headache From age 19 on, Jefferson had a tendency to develop prolonged incapacitating headaches, usually at 7-8 year intervals, usually correlated with stress or grief, complicated by indecision and deeply buried rage 1a Bumgarner concludes these were a form of cluster headache 1b , but also believes there was a tension component, as horseback riding offered relief 1b . At age 75 Jefferson wrote: "A periodical headache has afflicted me occasionally, once perhaps in six to eight years for two to three weeks at a time, which seeems now to have left me" 1c



smallpox inoculation Jefferson was inoculated against smallpox 1d . He himself inoculated his own family -- a procedure not to be taken lightly, as the experience of his contemporary, John Adams , illustrates.



arm fracture In late June 1781, Jefferson (apparently) broke his arm [which one?] after being thrown from his horse 1e



right wrist fracture Jefferson broke his wrist in Paris in summer 1785. This seemingly minor event was to cause him grief the remainder of his life. There are three versions of the incident: (1) He was trying to jump a fence while touring Paris with a married woman, (2) He was trying to jump over a kettle, and (3) He fell while walking with an (unidentified) friend 1e One account described the fracture as compound and poorly treated by the Parisian doctors. The wrist remained swollen, painful, and useless for weeks One account described the fracture as compound and poorly treated by the Parisian doctors. The wrist remained swollen, painful, and useless for weeks 1e . Despite taking the waters at Aix-en-Provence, it remained deformed and bothered him the rest of his life 1f



dysentery Jefferson developed severe dysentery (bloody diarrhea) in 1802. He consulted no doctor, feeling that horseback riding helped 1b . (This seemed to be Jefferson's cure-all therapy.) Bumgarner wonders if tension played a role in this illness 1b



back injury After perfoming extensive manual labor at Monticello (his estate) in late summer 1794, Jefferson became almost totally disabled by a back condition for two and a half months. The nature of the problem is not fully known 1b . Repeated bouts of back pain assailed Jefferson after this initial episode, e.g. in 1797 1b



depression Jefferson's back problems (see above), financial troubles, and personal vicissitudes depressed him ca. 1793-1797. He believed his physical health was so poor that death was near 1b



jaw infection 1c. A severe jaw infection occurred in January 1808 1g . Bumgarner believes this was most likely due to a decayed and infected tooth, but Jefferson's 1819 statement that he head never lost a tooth to age gives pause 2a



reading glasses From "middle age on" Jefferson required spectacles to read 1g . In his 70s he wore spectacles at night "but not necessarily in the day unless in reading small print" 1c



rheumatism and constipation Jefferson was disabled by "'rheumatism" in summer 1811 1g . Again, the exact nature of the illness is obscure. (I am not clear if it was related to his back problems mentioned above.) In 1818 he had his most severe attack of rheumatism ever. It was accompanied by life-threatening constipation. In 1818 he had his most severe attack of rheumatism ever. It was accompanied by life-threatening constipation. 1h . Taking the waters at Warm Springs, VA helped the rheumatism 1g



buttock boils In the third week of taking the waters at Warm Springs (1818) Jefferson developed boils on his buttocks. (The 50+ mile ride to the spa plus possibly unsanitary conditions there may have predisposed to the illness.) As may be imagined, his homeward return ride was a trial. Once home, for several weeks he conducted his correspondence lying down. He did not ride a horse for several months. "Jefferson always believed that this experience had greatly injured his health" 1g



wrist and arm fracture Jefferson fell from a broken step at home in 1821 (age 75), fracturing his left arm and wrist. Now both wrists were significantly impaired (see above). He wrote less, even into 1822 1h



weakening In 1819 (age 75) he was "too feeble to walk much but riding without fatigue six to eight miles per day, and sometimes thirty or forty" 1c Jefferson's strength declined further in winter 1822, but he remained in generally good health. (He dreaded the winters at this age.) He could walk "only [to] reach my garden, and that with sensible fatigue" Jefferson's strength declined further in winter 1822, but he remained in generally good health. (He dreaded the winters at this age.) He could walk "only [to] reach my garden, and that with sensible fatigue" 1h



hearing loss In 1819 Jefferson wrote "My hearing is distinct in particular conversation, but confused when several voices cross each other, which unfits me for the society of the table" 1c . (This experience is a classic manifestation of high-frequency hearing loss.) By 1825, however: "This [hearing] dullness of mine causes me to lose much of the conversation of the world and much a stranger to what is passing in it" 1h



prostatic enlargement There are statements (without a description of symptoms) that Jefferson had prostatic enlargement in at least the final year of life 1h



teeth At age 75 Jefferson wrote: "I have not yet lost a tooth to age" 2a



Asperger Syndrome? It has been postulated that Jefferson had Asperger Syndrome, a type of autism compatible with high achievement 3 . Dr. Zebra has not evaluated this hypothesis, but his first impulse is that distinguishing disease from eccentricity is very difficult 200 years out.



sleep Slept propped up in a bed that was otherwise too short for him. (Dr. Zebra heard this on a tour of Monticello around 1990.)



slaves Recent stories about genetic "proof" that Jeffersion fathered a child by one of his slaves are not proof. The technique used in the testing cannot determine whether Jefferson or one of his close male relatives fathered the child(ren). Historical evidence must be added to differentiate the possibilities.