me unable as yet to write or read without great pain.”
more pleasure than pain dealt out to us. There are….
In 1808, during the last year of his presidency, Jefferson
gloomy and hypochondriac minds….disgusted with the
wrote to his granddaughter, Cornelia Randolph, of his
present, and despairing of the future; always counting
headaches – “I mentioned in my letter of last week to
that the worse will happen, because it may happen. To
Ellen, that I was under an
these I say, how much pain
attack of periodical headache.
have cost us the evils which
This is the tenth day. It
have never happened.”
has been very moderate,
After reviewing Jefferson’s
and yesterday did not last
correspondence about his
more than three hours.”
“periodic” headaches, we are
In spite of these periodic
skeptical about his listing
headaches, Jefferson
with famous migraineurs. It
persevered, refusing to focus
is very possible that our third
on his headaches. Jefferson
president was in fact a cluster
sought to encourage others,
headache sufferer. Cluster
including his young nephew,
headache is defined by its
Peter Carr, in an 1785 letter,
characteristic periodicity. In
“In order to assure a certain
Jefferson’s letter to Cornelia
progress in this reading,
Randolph, he mentions that
consider what hours you have
it was the 10th day of the
free from school. Give about
headaches, and the attack
two of them, every day, to
did not last more than 3
exercise. For health must not
hours the day earlier. Cluster
be sacrificed to learning. A
is also characterized by
strong body makes the mind
attacks of brief duration.
strong….Never think of taking
As a person ages, migraine
a book with you. The object of
and cluster headaches typically
walking is to relax the mind….
diminish, and may completely
divert your attention by the objects surrounding you.
disappear. Jefferson was no exception. In 1819, at
Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself
the age of 76, Jefferson replied to a correspondent
to walk very far .…No one has occasioned so much, the
who had inquired about the state of his health, “A
degeneracy of the human body….I would advise you
periodical headache has afflicted me occasionally,
to take your exercise in the afternoon….A little walk
once, perhaps, in six or eight years, for two to three
of half an hour in the morning, when you first rise, is
weeks at a time, which seems now to have left me.”
advisable also. It shakes of sleep, and produces other good
In summary, Jefferson inspires anyone who
effects….Rise at a fixed and an early hour, and go to bed
values knowledge and freedom. But he should also
at a fixed and early hour also. Sitting up late at night is
serve as an example to those who experience severe
injurious to the health, and not useful to the mind.”
headache, that despite debilitating pain, one can
Jefferson’s instruction on healthy, active living is
persevere and accomplish the incredible. HW
still appropriate for all, especially those with chronic
headaches. He understood the importance of maintaining Suggested reading:
Ellis JJ. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas
regular sleep habits and exercise. An increase in
Jefferson. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997.
headache occurrence is often observed on weekends,
vacations, and holidays, when the individual sleeps
Meacham J. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.
past the normal waking time, may skip the morning
New York: Random House, 2012.
cup of coffee, and then experiences a headache.
Padover SK. A Jefferson Profile. New York: Day; 1956.
Throughout his life, Jefferson preached about a
positive outlook on health.