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.
Ebenezer Scrooge
Fungus Poisoning
On Christmas Eve in A Christmas Carol, miser Ebenezer Scrooge relives his past and has visions of the present and future in a series of vivid hallucinations. The following day, as detailed by Dickens, the mature-age (presumably 50-something) Scrooge was atypically generous and joyful. Scrooge’s complaint of indigestion on the night of the visions has been interpreted by some as evidence of poisoning with the hallucinogenic fungus ergot, which once was a common contaminant of rye bread. Others have suggested that Scrooge may have experienced a stroke or been afflicted by dementia or brief psychotic disorder.
Tiny Tim
Vitamin D deficiency
Whatever it was that ailed Scrooge, his visions in A Christmas Carol may have saved Tiny Tim Cratchit’s life. Indeed, Scrooge was warned, "If these shadows remain unchanged, I see an empty chair where Tiny Tim once sat." With this, Dickens suggests that if Scrooge were to be generous—to, for instance, raise Bob Cratchit’s wages—then the family would be able to afford more food. And, more important, they might have been able to buy fish oil, which, if modern-day physicians are correct in their assertions that Tiny Tim suffered from vitamin D deficiency, would have helped strengthen the boy’s crippled legs. Why Tiny Tim may have lacked vitamin D is uncertain, though the condition may have been caused by renal tubular acidosis or rickets, or even by a combination of rickets and tuberculosis, which were common among London’s children in the 19th century.
Mr. Krook
Dyslexia
"He can make all the letters separately and he knows most of them separately when he sees them...but he can’t put them together."
That was how Dickens described the reading ability of shopkeeper Mr. Krook in Bleak House. Some have postulated that it might have been the first written description of dyslexia, and if that is the case, then Dickens penned it some three decades before the term itself reached the medical literature. Krook also suffered from alcohol dependency and died a most unusual death, having spontaneously combusted.Jack Jasper
Drug addiction
In The Mystery of Edwin Drood, choirmaster Jack (John) Jasper, in the grips of opium, dreams his darkest desire—to strangle his nephew, Edwin Drood—an act that the opium addict ultimately seeks to realize. While still a mystery, some psychologists suspect that dreams, particularly those associated with drug use, may represent the origin of a craving or desire, such as for food or sex. Perhaps of significance, then, was Jasper’s love for Rosa Bud, Drood’s fiancée, which may have driven Jasper to kill Drood (though, the identity of the person responsible for Drood’s disappearance is unknown; the author died before completing the novel). Thus, Dickens appears to have been spot-on in his portrayal of dreams, desire, and what is now a recognized medical condition—addiction.
Arthur Havisham
Delirium tremens
"There was another in with Compeyson, as was called Arthur…He was in a decline, and was a shadow to look at."
In Great Expectations, with the character Arthur Havisham, Dickens again demonstrates his knowledge of the consequences of addiction, namely its tendency to lead to physical and mental deterioration. Arthur suffered specifically from "the horrors," which physicians have equated with delirium tremens, a condition brought on by alcohol withdrawal and often seen in people who suffer from chronic alcoholism. As its name suggests, defining features of the condition include changes in mental state ("delirium") and shaking or shivering ("tremens"). Arthur suffers from both, as Dickens describes succinctly in the novel, making for a subtle yet intriguing treasure among Dickensian diagnoses.Joe the Fat Boy
Obesity hypoventilation syndrome
In The Pickwick Papers, Dickens described "…a boy—a wonderfully fat boy…standing upright on the mat, with his eyes closed as if in sleep."
It is a classic description of what is now known as Pickwickian syndrome, or obesity hypoventilation syndrome. While its primary physical features, obesity and atypical daytime drowsiness, appear to have been described prior to Dickens’s portrayal of Joe the fat boy, the first reference to the syndrome in relation to the novel appears to have made later, in the early 1900s, by Canadian physician Sir William Osler in an edition of his textbook The Principles and Practice of Medicine. The name Pickwickian syndrome entered into popular use more than a century after The Pickwick Papers was published in book form (1837).Bradley Headstone
Epilepsy
"You are quite ill, Mr. Headstone!"
"It is not much, sir. It will pass over very soon. I am accustomed to be seized with giddiness."
Bradley Headstone, the schoolmaster in Our Mutual Friend, is thought to have suffered from epilepsy. Indeed, his being "seized with giddiness" likely represented a seizure. Headstone was not alone among Dickens characters in his condition. Monks, a sinister and sickly character in Oliver Twist, and Guster, a maid in Bleak House, were prone to "fits" as well. Some have speculated that Dickens himself may have been afflicted by epilepsy or a similar condition, which would have given him thorough insight into the disorder. The claim, however, remains unsubstantiated.Uriah Heep
Dystonia
"He had a way of writhing when he wanted to express enthusiasm, which was very ugly."
"Writhing" was used frequently by Dickens in his descriptions of the villain Uriah Heep in David Copperfield. Heep’s constant wriggling and twisting has been interpreted by some as indicative of the physical disorder known as dystonia. Dystonia is characterized by repetitive movements resulting from the involuntary contraction of muscles. The unusual twisting movements and postures associated with dystonia can be socially disturbing, for sufferers and observers alike, which Dickens captured well.
As Miss Trotwood exclaims in Heep’s presence, "If you’re an eel, Sir, conduct yourself like one. If you’re a man, control your limbs, Sir! Good God!"Miss Mowcher
Dwarfism
Also in David Copperfield, readers encounter a character affected by dwarfism, the hairdresser Miss Mowcher. Unlike the sinister Heep, Miss Mowcher is a heroine. However, Dickens seems to have initially portrayed the hairdresser as immoral, a notion that was strongly disapproved by his neighbour at the time, Mrs. Jane Seymour Hill, a dwarf herself. Hill appears to have threatened to sue Dickens over the matter, which might explain Miss Mowcher’s redeeming qualities. The character ultimately came to be recognized as a symbol for the rights of the disabled and is representative of the novelist’s inclination to bestow decency upon his poor or enfeebled characters.