title: Blinking Sam: the ocular afflictions of Dr. Samuel Johnson.
abstract: The poor health of Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) has fascinated the public for more than 200 years. The illnesses of few famous men, with the possible exception of Napoleon, have attracted more speculation. Johnson was an outstanding 18th-century literary figure, an essayist, novelist, and poet, and is particularly famous as the creator of the first important dictionary of the English language. His writings and those of his physicians and friends, particularly his biographer, James Boswell, provide an intimate account of a cultural icon.
authors.affiliation: Nelson Hospital, Nelson, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Graham A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Ravin
mesh_terms: D004014:Dictionaries as Topic; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D008093:Literature, Modern / Q000266:history; D008297:Male; D014388:Tuberculosis, Lymph Node / Q000266:history; D006113:United Kingdom