Why does anyone think Jefferson was autistic or had Asperger disease?  And by the way, what is that disease?  I never heard of it.  

I have a distant cousin who is autistic, but as far as I can tell she is as normal as apple pie.  

It seems to me that some authors have nothing better to do than to write salacious "supposes" and questionable psychological analyses of folks whose pasts are more open to public scrutiny than most of us.  What a waste!

"Normal" is a very wide band of behavior characteristics, and eccentrics are perfectly acceptable unless their behavior endangers them or others.  So what is the big deal about how someone appears, especially the long dead?    

If Jefferson had trouble in public speaking, that is no indicator of disease. He was just painfully shy and feared criticism which is a normal trait for many folks.  (Others love being in front of audiences and cannot shut up; a recent US pres. comes to mind.)

Can we turn this thread into something of historical or genealogical value, or maybe just cut it off?  I myself am compulsive and cannot stop myself from reading very thread to the bitter end.  :-)


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Joan Logan Brooks