Introduction

Abstract The development of health resorts like Mentone and Davos revolutionized the treatment of consumption, as well as nervous disorders, substituting fresh air and sunshine for the close confines of an invalid’s bedroom. In Quest of a Cure explores the interface between literary and medical spheres in these ‘Little Britains’, where hotel rooms became literal hotbeds of writing. It seeks to understand the role of literature in bringing about changes in medical attitudes and practices, and conversely, the impact of medical theories and edicts on individual lives. Drawing on archival work and medical journals, as well as patients’ letters, diaries, and literary writings, it constructs a detailed picture of life in these ‘English Colonies’, where life was lived under the dual pressures of illness and exile, yet outside medical institutional structures. Focusing on the lives and writings of a range of literary figures, it examines the conflicting emotions experienced during long-term illness, and doctor–patient relationships. In its explorations of the interface between individual health and physical environment, it contributes to work in the medical humanities, disability studies, environmental studies, and the history of emotions.