The English malady
Book • 1733
In 'The English Malady' George Cheyne examined conditions then labeled as the spleen, vapours, hypochondria and hysteria, linking them to indulgent diets and sedentary habits.
The book framed mental and emotional disorders in moral and lifestyle terms, promoting dietary restraint and activity as remedies.
It reached readers anxious about new health and moral norms and contributed to framing certain bodily states as signs of personal failing.
Cheyne's blending of personal anecdote, medical opinion and moralizing advice influenced subsequent health writers and early wellness discourse.
The work reflects early-modern attempts to categorize and manage emotional illness through behavioral prescriptions.
The book framed mental and emotional disorders in moral and lifestyle terms, promoting dietary restraint and activity as remedies.
It reached readers anxious about new health and moral norms and contributed to framing certain bodily states as signs of personal failing.
Cheyne's blending of personal anecdote, medical opinion and moralizing advice influenced subsequent health writers and early wellness discourse.
The work reflects early-modern attempts to categorize and manage emotional illness through behavioral prescriptions.
Mentioned by
Mentioned in 0 episodes
Mentioned by 
Asher Larmie
Wellness Influencers: A 400-Year History of the Same Old BS
