Panel Advises Waiting to Test Lincoln’s Remains for Ailment

A panel of genetic experts Wednesday recommended postponing a proposed examination of blood and bones preserved from Abraham Lincoln’s autopsy. The analysis was to determine whether Lincoln suffered from Marfan’s syndrome.

The panel concluded that the gene responsible for the syndrome has not been identified, so testing of the Lincoln samples would be premature.

The scientists on the panel were selected by the National Museum of Health and Medicine to decide the technical and scientific aspects of making the museum-held specimens available to genetic research.

Historians have long believed that Lincoln suffered from Marfan’s syndrome, a potentially fatal illness. Dr. Darwin Prockop of the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia requested in 1989 that the samples be used for molecular genetic testing.

Museum spokesman Dick Levinson said that, in recommending against the tests, the panel had found that “the technology in this area is changing so rapidly that we could be looking at an entirely different situation in a year.

“We don’t know enough about the gene that causes Marfan’s syndrome. It would be better to wait until we have a better understanding of the entire range of mutations,” Levinson said.

Museum director Marc S. Micozzi said, however, that the panel recommended other, non-destructive tests on parts of Lincoln’s remains held in other collections, to determine if they are authentic. If so, more samples could be available when Marfan’s syndrome testing becomes appropriate, he said.

The syndrome, an inherited disorder, affects connective tissues, blood vessels and eyes, and can produce fatal abnormalities of major arteries. Marfan’s patients often are unusually tall and may have elongated fingers, toes and limbs, all characteristics of Lincoln. Historians have suggested that the 16th U.S. President may have had the disorder.

About 40,000 Americans today suffer from Marfan’s syndrome.

The museum possesses chips from Lincoln’s skull, bloodstains from clothing and locks of hair that were collected during the autopsy after he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.

The advisory panel’s recommendation for authenticity testing will be forwarded to Enrique Mendez, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.