“So Hard to Die”: A Physician and a Psychologist Explore the Mystery of Meriwether Lewis’s Death by David J. Peck & Marti E. Peck (review)

Reviewed by: "So Hard to Die": A Physician and a Psychologist Explore the Mystery of Meriwether Lewis's Death by David J. Peck & Marti E. Peck Rich Aarstad "So Hard to Die": A Physician and a Psychologist Explore the Mystery of Meriwether Lewis's Death David J. Peck & Marti E. Peck The Marti and David Peck Family Trust of 1992, 2021. $22.50 hardcover. David J. Peck DO is no stranger to the saga of the Corps of Discovery, writing Or Perish in the Attempt: The Hardship and Medicine of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Univ. of Nebraska Press, 2011). As such, he has more than passing knowledge when it comes to the topic of the expedition and a record for writing solid history. This time he partners with Dr. Marti Peck to plumb the depths of Meriwether Lewis's mind in an effort to contextualize Lewis's character and manner of death. This reviewer has always appreciated the brilliance of Meriwether Lewis's intellect on full exhibit during the Corps of Discovery's exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. The fact that it could be a tortured mind leading the expedition did not detract from the accomplishment. Where historians are trained to examine the historical record to analyze the evidence and put forth an argument, the Doctors Peck, a physician and psychologist, respectively, seek to create a historic and forensic profile of Lewis that helps explain the mystery of his death. As such, their work offers chapters dedicated to "numerous cultural and religious issues of interest that were unique to the times in which Lewis lived and should weigh heavily in any analysis of his death" (6–7). One example of a cultural influence they cite is alcohol consumption. In chapter four, titled "Intoxication Nation: Meriwether Lewis and Alcohol," they discuss the use of alcohol in Lewis's time as well as instances where friends and colleagues commented on his overindulgence post expedition. In contrast, others claimed he "had absolutely no history of alcohol [End Page 80] abuse," nor even did his worst enemy, Frederick Bates, accuse Lewis of self-medicating or overindulging (89–90). As such, one of the doctors' goals was to address the "great deal of wildly erroneous information . . . that does not agree with established medical and mental health knowledge or accepted historical fact" (4). Overall, their premise is valid and their approach interesting. For instance, there are standout chapters, such as the one that compares Meriwether Lewis and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who both experienced national renown for their explorations and suffered from alcoholism and depression in the mediocrity that followed their achievements. On the other hand, at moments the work feels derivative of Stephen Ambrose's final chapter, "Aftermath," in Undaunted Courage, which accomplishes much the same in a mere eighteen pages. In part, the authors are challenged by the difficulties of drawing conclusions based on fictitious psychological interviews that rely solely on the written words of the subject and the observations of his contemporaries without accounting for the nonverbal cues that are evident during an in-person interview. Ultimately, the authors hope that readers, even those who disagree with their conclusion, will come away with a more "complete and informed" view of Lewis's life. I do not disagree with their conclusions, but it is important to note that their methodology and speculative approach will likely rub traditional historians the wrong way. Die-hard Corps fans, however, will appreciate the discussions this work provokes.