Hypochondriasis A Practical Treatise

Hypochondriasis: A Practical Treatise is an eighteenth-century medical book by Sir John Hill (1716-1775), the English apothecary, botanist, and prolific writer whose career spanned theatre, journalism, medicine, and natural history. Hill produced the multi-volume Vegetable System and the British Herbal alongside political satire and popular medical writing. This treatise on hypochondriasis, an eighteenth-century umbrella term covering chronic digestive, nervous, and depressive complaints, sets out Hill’s recommendations for diet, regimen, and the use of vegetable remedies. The book reflects the pre-Romantic medical understanding of nervous illness and the rising interest in plant-based therapeutics that Hill championed in opposition to the heroic medicine of the Royal College of Physicians. It is a useful primary source for the social history of Georgian medicine. Free PDF download available on BDeBooks.