Description
The Disease of the Learned: A Chapter from the History of Melancholy and Hypochondria
Author: M. J. van Lieburg
Hardcover with dust jacket. Good condition.
The Disease of the Learned: A Chapter from the History of Melancholy and Hypochondria by M. J. van Lieburg (published 1990) is a concise yet insightful survey of the intellectual afflictions that affected scholars and thinkers from the early modern period through the eighteenth century. In just over 100 pages, the book traces how conditions historically labeled as melancholy or hypochondria—often seen in thinkers consumed by study—were understood and treated, situating them within broader medical, cultural, and historical contexts. By examining medical theories such as Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy and accounts of figures like David Hume, who reportedly suffered the so‑called “disease of the learned,” van Lieburg illuminates the blurred line between genius and neurosis, offering a multi-disciplinary exploration of how scholarly lives intersected with mental illness in the pre‑modern and Enlightenment eras. (archive.org, link.springer.com, cambridge.org, literaryreview.co.uk)
This item is second-hand and is sold as is. If you would like more details please contact us or visit us in store.
100% of profits raised from the sale of our goods will assist Fair Trade and Gift Shop in helping the many charities we support which make lasting change in the lives of disadvantaged people.