Thomas Edison’s first wife, Mary Stilwell, died of “congestion of the brain”.  That’s a phrase that shouldn’t have gone out of style.

I was researching the first electric Christmas tree lights, which got me to President Chester A. Arthur being  a widower, his wife, then Thomas Edison’s wife.

Congestion of the brain means that Mary Stilwell Edison died of an opiate addiction.  Here’s a full body photo.

‘Chasing the dragon’ usually makes one lose weight.  She looks to be a chunky junkie.

They had no kids, so it isn’t the glow of an expectant mother.  Maybe it’s all petticoats, bloomers and whatnot.

President Chester A Arthur’s wife passed way in 1880, before he took office.  Nell Arthur is an attractive woman, but what the hell is she wearing?  It looks like a lacey gimp suit.  Is that leather?  Why is it shiny?

Nobody ever talks about President Chester A Arthur, but he’s interesting.

When President Garfield was assassinated, his VP, Chester Arthur, took on the duties of the president.  That seems simple, but it wasn’t.  Nobody was sure if Arthur was the president, or just taking on the duties.  Like an acting or interim president.

Arthur just said he was president, and everyone thought that was easiest.  Since there was no process for picking a new vice president, he didn’t have one.  It took almost 90 years to pass the 25th Amendment to clear that all up.

That’s pretty messed up.  Four presidents had been assassinated before the government figured they should come up with a formal process.

Also, it had been forty years since a president took office as a widower.  By now, the first lady had duties.  There was a role to fill.  It’s a protocol problem, but still a problem.  Arthur had the wives of his cabinet secretaries handle that.

I just post this because congestion of the brain sent me down a rabbit hole.