Seeing himself “infirm and ill,” Argan, the imaginary invalid in Molière’s comedy of the same name (1673), insists, for purely selfish reasons, that his daughter marry a physician. By doing so, Argan would have “good assistance” with his own illness and have, at his disposal, all the "remedies, consultations, and prescriptions" he might need. Within one month, for example, Argan has taken “twelve remedies and twenty enemas” prescribed by his physician, who seems little more than a quack.

Even Argan’s own brother sees Argan as “no man who is less ill.” His brother believes in having nature take its course. He says, “It is our anxiety, our impatience, which spoils all; and nearly all men die of their remedies, not of their diseases.” He ultimately suggests that Argan become a physician himself, “…there is no complaint so daring as to meddle with the person of a physician.”

And, of course, becoming a physician involves no more than donning a cap and gown, such that “any gibberish becomes learned…” The play ends with Argan preparing for his initiation.

Molière “skewers” the medical profession, explains his translator. In his satire, all the physicians are caricatures. In Argan, Molière may be parodying his own anxieties about health and his own experience with the limited knowledge of physicians of his era. Significantly, Molière suffered from ill health for much of his life, and this play was his last. He was only 51 when he died (van Laun, 2004). Suffering from health anxiety did not necessarily prevent an early demise, especially in the 17th century.

What do we know about health anxiety? The 5th edition of our Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) eliminated a previous category from earlier editions of somatoform illnesses and now created two categories: somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder.

Those patients with somatic symptom disorder suffer from distressing bodily symptoms accompanied by persistently and disproportionately high levels of anxiety about health as well as abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in response to their symptoms. They often present in medical rather than psychiatric settings. These bodily symptoms are seen as unduly threatening and can be specific (e.g., localized pain)........

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