Happy Birthday Abe!

Did you know? There is a story about Abraham Lincoln seeing his ghost while looking into a mirror from his bed, shortly after being elected in 1860. By studying numerous photographs and portraits of Lincoln, ophthalmologists have determined that Lincoln had a weakness of a muscle in his left eye (the trochlea), which made the eye unable to look downward in certain positions, including when trying to look into a mirror from a supine position. This would explain his double vision during the incident. Others have ascribed this story to a mirror having two reflecting surfaces, but I find that less convincing.

Did you also know? Physicians say there’s a 50/50 chance that Lincoln had Marfan’s Syndrome, which causes elongation of the hands and jaw during adulthood, due to an excess of human growth hormone. (Marfan's Syndrome can also can dislocation of the lens within the eye).

photo courtesy wikimedia commons