Swiss physician who first coined the term 'nostalgia' to describe an entirely new disease — a bold step by the lowly med student from Basel. Hofer described the disease as “the pain a sick person feels because he is not in his native land, or fears never to see it again.” Hofer’s assertions were based on two case studies he personally witnessed. The first concerned a student he attended to from Bern, who found himself lonely and sick while studying and living in Basel. He presented with anxiety, fatigue, palpitations and a fever, and he was growing worse by the day. He was sent home to die, but, amazingly, grew stronger the further he put Basel behind him. He made a complete recovery when he arrived home.
