-
- Græsk:
Hjemstavnslængsel, hjemve.
Nostalgibegrebet blev udviklet i en lægevidenskabelig
afhandling.
Afhandlingen, Dissertatio Medica De Nostalgia, oder Heimwehe, blev
forsvaret 22. juni 1688 af den schweiziske læge Johannes
Hofer (1669-1752), som beskrev, hvad man dengang kaldte den
schweiziske syge: mal du Suisse, Swiss illness, eller
Schweizerheimweh. En epidemi af
denne sygdom var brudt ud blandt
unge mere eller mindre tvangshvervede schweiziske lejesoldater i Frankrig og i Italien. Kuren
på sygdommen var nedsættelse af tjenestetiden og
hjemsendelse.
Små hundrede år senere skrev den østriske
læge Leopold Auenbrugger (1772-1809) i Inventum Novum fra
1761 (citeret fra Jones, Franklin D.: Psychiatric Lessons of
War):
'When young men who are still growing are forced to enter military
service and thus lose all hope of returning safe and sound to their
beloved homeland, they become sad, taciturn, listless, solitary,
musing, full of sighs and moans. Finally, they cease to pay
attention and become indifferent to everything which the
maintenance of life requires of them.
This disease is called nostalgia. Neither medicaments, nor
arguments, nor promises nor threats of punishment are able to
produce any improvement. While all thought is directed toward
ungratified desires, the body wastes away, with a dull sound
(sonitus obscuras) on one side of the chest. [Some cases of
nostalgia were undoubtedly linked with tuberculosis and other chest
diseases. Such diseases were noted in the author's descriptions of
autopsy reports.]
Some years ago this disease was rather common but now occurs very
rarely since the wise arrangement was instituted of limiting the
period of military service to a definite number of years. As a
result the young men retain the hope of leaving military service
after this period has elapsed, and of being able to return to their
homes and enjoy their civic rights.'
Nostalgi blev senere et yndet tema i romantikken, blandt
modeskabere og indenfor antikvitetshandel.
Solastalgi er følelse af tab som mennesker oplever som
følge af
klimaforandringer.
- Se også: Melankoli.
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