Famous British man of letters Samuel Johnson kept copious notes and diaries about his life, most of which was filled with illness. On this date in 1784, Johnson's will was read, disclosing that he bequeathed to the physicians who treated him without accepting any money “each a book at their election, to keep as a token of remembrance.” Among these physicians was William Heberden, a well-known London physician who studied common disease syndromes. Johnson suffered from depression, edema, chronic bronchitis and later a stroke.

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