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Charles Dickens is renowned for his elaborate writing style and iconic opening lines, yet his influence extends into science, particularly within the medical field, an aspect less commonly discussed.
A new exhibit at the Charles Dickens Museum in London, titled "Charles Dickens: Man of Science," unveils the author's scientific contributions. The display highlights how his precise depictions of medical conditions often predated, and occasionally even inspired, the identification of various diseases, as reported by The Guardian.
In Dombey and Son, the character of Mrs. Skewton suffers from paralysis on one side of her body and loses the ability to speak. Dickens was the first to document this mysterious ailment, a phenomenon that later led scientists to identify the brain's role in speech production. Similarly, in The Pickwick Papers, the character Joe, nicknamed the 'Fat boy,' who snores loudly while asleep, lent his name to Pickwickian Syndrome, or obesity hypoventilation syndrome.
Courtesy of the Charles Dickens MuseumDickens also provided insightful descriptions of tuberculosis and dyslexia, with some of his writings later used as educational tools for teaching medical diagnosis.
“Dickens is an astoundingly keen observer of human behavior,” said museum curator Frankie Kubicki in an interview with The Guardian. “He captures these behaviors so precisely that his portrayals can be used to link symptoms to specific diseases.”
Dickens was well-acquainted with many prominent scientists of his time, such as Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, and chemist Jane Marcet. The exhibition features some of his correspondence with these influential figures. His contributions extended beyond medicine, reaching into fields like chemistry, geology, and environmental science.
Less grounded in scientific fact was Dickens' fascination with mesmerism, a form of hypnotism from the 1770s believed to harness ‘animal magnetism,’ a supposed magnetic force flowing through all humans. Dickens explored mesmerism so deeply that he famously wrote, “I have the perfect conviction that I could magnetize a frying-pan.” A playbill from the 1857 production of Animal Magnetism, in which Dickens starred, is also featured in the exhibit.
Courtesy of the Charles Dickens MuseumHoused at 48-49 Doughty Street in London, the exhibition will remain open to the public until November 11, 2018.
