On page 86, Simon calls the Governors wife a hypochondriac in what seems to be a negative connotation. The year is 1859. Up until the late 19th century, hypochondria was a fashionable ailment of the wealthy, and it was the inception of modern day psychiatry that pushed it into a stigmatized category. I wonder if this usage isn’t historically accurate, or if hypochondria really was already stigmatized by 1859
— Mar 09, 2026 07:45AM
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