[Sickness in context. Family's, scholars' and patients' letters in the 18th century].

Abstract

Letters represent the most important type of source where patients of the early modern period record their feelings, thoughts and behaviour. It is therefore crucial to put them into context and identify the author's reasons for writing. Consultation letters written to physicians can be distinguished from family letters or letters exchanged between members of the Republic of Letters. The way patients write about their illness is largely determined by the main reason for the letter. Family members want, for instance, to inform their relatives about the general situation of the household. News about the state of health of family and kin is an essential part of such accounts. Though usually sparse in detail, information about health is offered regularly in order to free addressees from uncertainty. Among learned men, accounts of sickness are mostly brief and described as "inconveniences", as distractions from the pursuit of learning. Neither in family letters nor in learned correspondence should superficial descriptions of illness be considered as a sign of superficial relationships.