Pining for the Alps.

The article focuses on the historical understanding of nostalgia, originally identified in 17th-century Switzerland as a serious and potentially fatal disease characterized by intense homesickness. Coined by physician Johannes Hofer, nostalgia (la maladie du pays or das Heimweh) was seen as a pathological condition affecting primarily young people displaced from their homeland, with symptoms including sadness, physical decline, and refusal to eat, often requiring a return home for recovery. Over time, nostalgia expanded beyond Swiss highlanders to affect soldiers and colonists in various countries, remaining a medical concern until the early 20th century. Today, nostalgia is understood as a non-fatal emotional experience rather than a physical illness, though it continues to carry cultural and social significance.