Goethe's Ottilie: an early 19th century description of anorexia nervosa.

The view that the prevalence of anorexia nervosa is influenced by social attitudes and customs is a popular one. Unfortunately the scarcity of medical accounts prior to the later decades of the last century make it difficult if not impossible to estimate the prevalence of anorexia nervosa at various periods in history. The authors present the history of one of Goethe's literary heroines and suggest that similar studies could throw some light on the epidemiology of anorexia nervosa in the past.