I've long been curious about GAS's illness that kept him from his Q12 work from 1909-1912. He had 3 lost years during midlife from age 39-42. I always thought it was systemmic lupus (Wikipedia calls it Systemic lupus erythematosus), characterized by photosensitivity, which could explain his permanently impaired eyesight, if he was unprotected from the sun as a surveyor.
Now Peggy Fletcher Stack tells us he suffered from depression:
The article on page 113 here is pretty interesting; I would characterize it more as nervous exhaustion rather than depression.
In addition to the surveying injury to his eyes, he also had an eye injury.
Now Peggy Fletcher Stack tells us he suffered from depression:
ON APRIL 12, 1910, DR. HEBER J. SEARS wrote briskly to his nephew:
“A letter from your mot her brings t he sad intelligence t hat you are down with nervous frustration. . . . For Heaven’s sake George— ‘Side step or step backward not forward.’ Cheat the asylum of a victim. Dump your responsibility for a while before the hearse dumps your bones.”
His nephew was George Albert Smith, then a fortyyear-old apostle who was almost totally incapacitated, physically and emotionally.
“A letter from your mot her brings t he sad intelligence t hat you are down with nervous frustration. . . . For Heaven’s sake George— ‘Side step or step backward not forward.’ Cheat the asylum of a victim. Dump your responsibility for a while before the hearse dumps your bones.”
His nephew was George Albert Smith, then a fortyyear-old apostle who was almost totally incapacitated, physically and emotionally.
In addition to the surveying injury to his eyes, he also had an eye injury.
Additionally, in early 1900, Smith suffered an unspecified accident to one eye, which further impaired his eyesight and which was not corrected by operations in 1901, 1902, and 1907. In later photographs, the left eye focuses outward; when his portrait appeared on the cover of Time magazine for the Church’s centennial in 1930, the errant eye was airbrushed straight.
George Albert frequently laments his eye fatigue in his journal and correspondence. He often had to pause in writing a letter to rest his eyes. His wife, Lucy, often read his work aloud to him to spare his eyes. These diary excerpts after the third operation give some indication of his ongoing struggle:
Dec. 4, 1907, El Paso, Texas. Eyes very weak.
Dec. 7, 1907, Colonia Juarez, Mexico. Awoke feeling very well but
my right eye is somewhat disabled. It pained me all day.
Dec. 8, 1907. Awoke feeling splendid except for my eyes.
Dec. 12, 1907. Awoke feeling well, my eyes still affected. [W]rote
a letter to Lucy until my eyes were tired.
Dec. 23, 1907, Salt Lake City. Awoke feeling well but my eyes were tired.
Dec. 24, 1907. My eyes are quite weak.
March 6, 1908. My eyes are tired.
March 10, 1908. My eyes quite weak.
May 14, 1908. Moab, Utah, My eyes are somewhat tired and weak.
June 22, 1908. Salt Lake City. Awoke with tired eyes.
George Albert’s work as an apostle was strenuous. He averaged thirty thousand miles a year as a young apostle, usually traveling by train.
George Albert frequently laments his eye fatigue in his journal and correspondence. He often had to pause in writing a letter to rest his eyes. His wife, Lucy, often read his work aloud to him to spare his eyes. These diary excerpts after the third operation give some indication of his ongoing struggle:
Dec. 4, 1907, El Paso, Texas. Eyes very weak.
Dec. 7, 1907, Colonia Juarez, Mexico. Awoke feeling very well but
my right eye is somewhat disabled. It pained me all day.
Dec. 8, 1907. Awoke feeling splendid except for my eyes.
Dec. 12, 1907. Awoke feeling well, my eyes still affected. [W]rote
a letter to Lucy until my eyes were tired.
Dec. 23, 1907, Salt Lake City. Awoke feeling well but my eyes were tired.
Dec. 24, 1907. My eyes are quite weak.
March 6, 1908. My eyes are tired.
March 10, 1908. My eyes quite weak.
May 14, 1908. Moab, Utah, My eyes are somewhat tired and weak.
June 22, 1908. Salt Lake City. Awoke with tired eyes.
George Albert’s work as an apostle was strenuous. He averaged thirty thousand miles a year as a young apostle, usually traveling by train.
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