Marcel Proust (1871–1922): a historico-medical review of his fatal asthma

Marcel Proust (1871-1922) suffered from a severe form of bronchial asthma, likely aggravated by allergies, which progressed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as he aged. This article reexamines the impact of his illness on his life and work, situating it within the medical theories of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which primarily viewed asthma as a psychosomatic disorder. For this reason, Proust consulted numerous neurologists, including some of the most celebrated medical figures of his time, such as Joseph Babinski and Paul-Auguste Sollier. These physicians were largely influenced by theories that linked asthma to nervous conditions and prescribed treatments correspondingly. The therapeutic practices of the time also included antispasmodic drugs, hypnotics, and various stimulants, leading Proust to a sometimes-self-administered therapeutic regimen that ultimately exacerbated his health problems. Additionally, the conception of asthma as a "nervous" disease influenced his narrative style and the development of certain characters in his novel A la recherche du temps perdu. Ultimately, the chronic nature of his condition and the aggressive self-treatment he pursued had significant consequences on both his physical and mental health, contributing to his demise at the age of 51 due to pneumonia. This historico-medical analysis aims to shed new light on Proust's relationship with his illness, his view of medicine, and how the medical ideas of his time influenced both his personal life and literary work.