This Long Disease, My Life: Alexander Pope and the SciencesWhen in his Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot Pope referred to "this long disease, my life," his statement was quite literally true, since Pope, in addition to being a dwarf and a hunchback, suffered from many diseases during his lifetime. With technical advice from several physicians, the authors present the first medical case history of the poet. Drawing heavily upon the Correspondence for information about Pope's symptoms, they discuss the effect ill health