An essay on diseases incidental to literary and sedentary persons

By S. A. TISSOT, M. D. Professor of Physick at Berne.
Now first translated into English.
LONDON: Printed for Edwᵈ. and Charles Dilly, in the Poultry. MDCCLXVIII.


I am indebted to you for many great obligations, most illustrious and great men; and lately you have done me the honour to confer a most noble and unexpected favour upon me. It is but just that I should by words thank those to whom I am incapable of making any other return; and such a testimony of gratitude I will shew them as long as I live. It is proper that, being publickly graced by your favours, I should make a public acknowledgment, and give some pledge of my gratitude, however mean and inadequate. Receive therefore, most illustrious and excellent men, and deign to receive favourably, this first though feeble proof of my diligence in my new office. May the Almighty enable me to promote the public interest of the academy by more considerable and more valuable productions, and may the hopes which you have conceived of me, venerable fathers of your country, and the hopes which the people have conceived concerning this new professorship, be fulfilled to general satisfaction. May the propitious Deity likewise favour all your public and private undertakings, and shower all his choicest blessings both upon you and yours, and the whole commonwealth. And cease not, reverend fathers, to make happy, by your constant benevolence and favour, a man entirely devoted to the service of your excellencies.
S. A. Tissot.
Lausanne, April 29, 1766.

The occasion of this discourse, and the choice of the materials, will sufficiently appear from the discourse itself: therefore, courteous reader, I shall not trespass upon thy patience by a long preface.
I have long since read many treatises and dissertations concerning the health of the studious; but of all the authors, who have treated this subject, the only one who has acquitted himself to my satisfaction is Bernard Ramazini: for I have not yet had an opportunity of reading the work of the celebrated Pujatus, a man who in other respects has deserved highly of the medicinal science; but whose treatise upon this subject is, I find, neither praised by the journals nor by his friends. Nor is the work of Ramazini compleat; since he has left more topicks untouched than he has elucidated. I have therefore undertaken an important, an agreeable, and even a new subject; and I hope I shall not appear unequal to it; but it will be sufficient to have pointed out the road at a distance to learned travellers; they will soon be able of themselves to shew the unknown paths; which is my earnest wish and desire. In this treatise there will occur many passages transcribed verbatim from Celsus, Gaubius, and other eminent men, and that even without distinguishing them by quotation. This plagiarism will, I hope, be excused, because I looked upon it as a sort of profanation to alter their words, as they were extreamly eloquent, and admirably adapted to my purpose: besides, it was improper to disgust the reader by too great a number of quotations.