[Diderot medical chronicler in the Lettres à Sophie Volland].

Abstract

The private diary Diderot wrote every week for the benefit of his mistress, Sophie Volland, gives an insight into "illness in letters" in the XVIIIth century. Diderot inserts the long story of his wife's illness (September-October 1762) into his monologue. Indeed, in general, health related topics are commonplace in letters. The health of the author is better expressed in autobiographical writing since this type of text aims to ascertain the author's sincerity: modern scholars have emphasized the "exhibitionism" inherent to Rousseau's Confessions. Diderot was the author of the French translation of Robert James' Dictionary of Medicine, and his continuing interest in the human body is revealed by his depiction of everyday life. The intensely active mind of the philosopher is incapable of locking itself into a love cocoon and Diderot must constantly reassert his presence in the world whatever happens. His correspondence can therefore be considered as an anthropological document containing evidence of the state of medicine in the days when the Encyclopaedia was written.