13 December 2022 Cheryl

13 December 1784: Samuel Johnson dies

Dr Johnson's grave

Afflicted by many illnesses, Dr Johnson also displayed gestures and tics that disconcerted some people, and it is now believed that he may have had Tourette syndrome, a condition not defined or diagnosed in the 18th century. [1]

Samuel Johnson, commonly known as Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography calls him “arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history”. Today, he is best remembered for his magnum opus, A Dictionary of the English Language.

On 13 December 1784, Samuel Johnson died in his home on Bolt Court, London, marking the end of an era in English literature and leaving a void that would be felt for generations to come.

Throughout his life, Johnson suffered from various ailments, including childhood tuberculous scrofula which resulted in deep facial scarring, smallpox, deafness in one ear, and blindness in one eye. He also developed gout, testicular cancer, and suffered a stroke in his final year that left him temporarily unable to speak. An autopsy after his death indicated that he had pulmonary fibrosis along with cardiac failure probably due to hypertension, a condition then unknown. Johnson also displayed signs consistent with depression and Tourette syndrome.

He married Elizabeth Porter, a widow 25 years his senior when he was 26, and though Johnson’s references to his “Tetty” were affectionate, the 17 years of their childless marriage were sometimes strained. She died on 25 March 1752.

As Johnson entered his later years, his health continued to decline. Many visitors came to visit as he lay sick in bed during his final days, and after falling into a coma he died at 7:00 pm on 13 December 1784, aged 75.

His funeral, held on 20 December 1784 at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, was a solemn and dignified affair that reflected the profound respect and admiration the public held for him. The event drew a large and diverse crowd comprising literary figures, scholars, friends, and admirers who came to pay their respects.

Johnson’s casket was carried by six pallbearers, including Edmund Burke and Sir Joshua Reynolds, both close friends of the deceased. The procession of coaches through the streets of London was somber, and many onlookers mourned the passing of the literary giant. He is interred in the south transept at Westminster Abbey close to William Shakespeare’s memorial.

Let me tell you more about Samuel Johnson and A Dictionary of the English Language:

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