On the body and other illusions – Pragya Agarwal in TLS:

‘In A Body Made of Glass, her history of this condition, Caroline Crampton acknowledges that “hypochondria” has evaded precise definition since Hippocrates first used the term in the fifth century BCE, though the etymology is clear: “chondria” comes from the Greek khondros, meaning the cartilage of the sternum. A disposition towards melancholy emerged from beneath the sternum, it was believed.
Three centuries later the Greek physician Galen alluded to a “peculiar” condition that emerged entirely in the mind, but was felt in the body. Over time the idea moved closer to fragility: sufferers imagined they were made of brittle clay. By the fourteenth century clay had given way to glass. Some people felt that, beneath their skin, they’d been turned into glass oil lamps or jars. The French king Charles VI (ruled 1380–1422), most exalted representative of these so-called “glass men”, had his clothing reinforced with iron rods, so convinced was he that he might shatter. One person was apparently cured after being beaten by his doctor and forced to concede it was his flesh that hurt. None of these conditions and beliefs bore the term “hypochondria”, but Crampton plausibly links them with present-day hypochondrial depression.’

(…)

‘A Body Made of Glass is best appreciated as a personal piece of writing. It does not contain a rigorous or explicit acknowledgement of the numerous academics and researchers who have been working on this topic over the years. Rather, it is about the search for certainty and hope, and the idea that “Doubt is human, and so is fear, and so is hope”. As Crampton says, “the continued presence of hypochondria ultimately reassures me”.’

(…)

‘The missing element would seem to be something less like attachment and more like its opposite – a detached and critical, maybe even clinical, understanding.’

Read the artciel here.

The life-affirming hypochondria is definitely the best.

And yes, understanding often starts with detachment, but can you practice the art of detachment while enjoying your hypochondria?