In honor of President Lincoln's 200th B-day

Between August and October of last year, the sesquicentennial of the Lincoln-Douglas debates were taking place throughout the state of Illinois. My town, Freeport, where the Freeport Doctrine was first presented, celebrated with our own reenactment, along with accompanying festivities. The other six Illinois cities where the original debates took place celebrated their own sesquicentennials, too. Perhaps you live in one of the cities: Ottawa, Jonesboro, Charleston, Galesburg, Quincy and Alton.

In 1858, one of the debaters, and one of the greatest Americans of all time, often found it difficult to stand on his feet due to problems with corns and other maladies because of his height, the size of his feet and their flat structure—President Abraham Lincoln. Basically, he had a number of conditions that have led some to conclude that he had a hereditary disorder known as Marfan’s Syndrome.

The Physical Lincoln by John Sotos, M.D., has dispelled this suggestion, and based on his research of Lincoln’s medical records has formulated that the President suffered from a cancerous condition known as multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2B. He surmised that Lincoln would have died within the year if John Wilkes Booth had not assassinated him. The explanation of this condition most likely also accounted for the early deaths of three of his sons before the age of 20 (with the exception of the eldest son, Robert), and of his mother at age 34.

This tall, lithe man, who would forever shape the destiny of our country, was basically an unhealthy person in many respects. He had suffered frostbite while crossing the Sangamon River during the deep snow of 1830-1831and went through much of his adult life with “cold hands and cold feet.” Many biographers have related the fact that Lincoln suffered from “corns and bunions” and was known to have flat feet holding up that 6’3” frame.

That brings us to one of Abraham Lincoln’s confidantes, an itinerant corn cutter or chiropodist, Isachar Zacharie. One of the earliest and best-known precursors to podiatry in our country not only served President Lincoln as his personal chiropodist, but was also a person whom the President held in close confidence and who shaped Lincoln’s impression of American Jewry. Secretary of War William Stanton and Secretary of State William Henry Seward were two of Zacharie’s first clients in Washington. His reputation for relieving foot pain became well
known and President Lincoln entrusted “Dr. Zacharie” with his own foot care. Zacharie also treated thousands of Union soldiers during the Civil War, most of whom wore ill-fitting, poorly made shoes and had to travel long distances by foot.

A letter from Abraham Lincoln included a sentence written about his podiatrist, which stated in part, “He has operated on my feet ... with considerable addition to my comfort.” He also stated in regards to American-Jewish relations, “My chiropodist is a Jew, and he has so many times ‘put me on my feet’ that I would have no objection to giving his countrymen ‘a leg up.’ ” There have not been very many references to podiatrists being involved in international relations, but it is clear that lsachar Zacharie had the ear of the President while sitting at the feet of our country’s great emancipator.

Podiatry is one of the few medical professions where it is possible to get to know one’s patients during actual treatment. One can imagine Lincoln and Zacharie chatting about the Civil War and the events occurring in our country during his presidency, while Zacharie was working on Lincoln’s corns and calluses. This relationship eventually led to Zacharie becoming a confidante to Lincoln, who sought his input in matters of the state, especially in regards to Jewish affairs.

Zacharie was eventually enlisted to mingle among Southerners in New Orleans after Union troops had captured the city. His skills in diplomacy were recognized by Lincoln and he was later asked to assist in opening the lines of communication with Southern leaders in 1862. With the notable exception of Nathaniel P. Banks, there was much resistance in Lincoln’s Cabinet, and among his
military officers, to the peace initiatives suggested by lsachar Zacharie. Dr. Zacharie eventually gave up hope of being a “peacemaker” and moved to Philadelphia to start his private practice.

When President Lincoln was assassinated a few months later, Zacharie no longer had access to the White House. For a short period of time, he tried supporting General Nathaniel Banks’ political career, but finally moved back to his home in England in 1874. He died there in 1897, two years after the first society of chiropodists was formed in New York, fulfilling a vision that Dr. lsachar Zacharie had while in the services of his friend, President Abraham Lincoln.

Podiatrists are now trained at many of the finest medical schools in the country and in countries like England and Australia. They are on the medical staffs of most hospitals and perform a vital role in caring for foot and ankle ailments of people throughout the world. Dr. Zacharie would be proud to know that podiatrists throughout the world are doing for others what he did for President Lincoln by putting people “on their feet.” The New York World put it succinctly when they wrote that lsachar Zacharie, Lincoln’s personal chiropodist, “enjoyed Mr. Lincoln’s confidence more than any other private individual ... [and was] perhaps the most favored
family visitor at the White House.”

Quotes to go with attached photos

Dr. lsachar Zacharie, presidential confidante, peacemaker and visionary

"Be sure to put your feetin the right place, then stand firm".
—Abraham Lincoln