Lists: 9 Dickensian Diagnoses -- Encyclopedia Britannica

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9 Diagnoses by Charles Dickens

Dickens, Charlescredit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

English novelist Charles Dickens had a knack for expertly portraying the symptoms of medical conditions. He also had a tendency to slip those descriptions into his works in subtle terms, such that historians and physicians have made it something of a hobby to interpret them medically and attempt to diagnose afflicted characters. In some cases, Dickens’s descriptions actually predated those offered by medical doctors, revealing his skill for observation. "Dickensian diagnoses" ascribed to nine of the novelist’s characters are explored in this list.

9. Ebenezer Scrooge

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