Beschreibung
[6], xxxii, [2], 370, [6]pp ads. 8vo. Some sl. marginal browning but a very good clean copy. Full contemporary sprinkled calf, double gilt ruled borders, raised & gilt banded spine; some minor rubbing to hinges & board edges. Name stamp on front endpaper: 'This is the property of Silke Montague'. ESTC T53891. Each of the three parts has its own titlepage. George Cheyne, 1671-1743, was a Scottish physician and proto-psychologist based in Bath, best known now as an early supporter of a vegetarian diet. The English Malady, first published in 1733, includes case histories of some of Cheyne's patients and a lengthy account of his own battle with obesity and depression. To Cheyne, the English malady was melancholy, not obesity itself, but obesity was a symptom along with lowness of spirits, anxiety, insomnia and nervous agitation, all of which were the result of modern urbanity and an immoderate, luxurious lifestyle. In calling melancholy 'the English malady,' Cheyne was flattering his readers by suggesting that it was a syndrome arising from English wealth, civilization and refinement. The eighteenth century elite believed themselves particularly susceptible to nervous disorders and dietary complaints probably because they tended to overindulge in rich food and take very little exercise. The patients described in the case studies suffer from various maladies combining both nervous and physical symptoms; since Cheyne believed that mind, body, and spirit were linked, he recommended a healthy, 'animal-low' diet and light exercise as treatment for a wide range of mental and physical illnesses. He had a number of high-profile patients including Alexander Pope, Samuel Richardson, Robert Walpole's daughter, the Earl and Countess of Huntingdon, the Earls of Essex and Bath, and many others. (Ref: George Cheyne & his Work; lecture by Jonathan Freedland, 2003.). Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 60451
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