author
Johann Georg Zimmermann
1728–1795
An 18th-century Swiss doctor and writer, he became known across Europe for books that mixed medicine, philosophy, and sharp observation of human nature. His life carried him from Brugg to royal courts, where he served powerful patients while continuing to write for a wide public.
2 Audiobooks
Solitude With the Life of the Author. In Two Parts
by Johann Georg Zimmermann
La solitude
by Johann Georg Zimmermann
About the author
Born in Brugg, in present-day Switzerland, in 1728, Johann Georg Zimmermann studied medicine at the University of Göttingen under the influential scholar Albrecht von Haller. He first built his career as a physician and writer, earning attention for both his medical work and his thoughtful, literary style.
Zimmermann is especially remembered for works that explored solitude, national character, and the moral life, subjects that gave his writing an appeal well beyond medicine. His books helped make him a widely read European author in the 18th century, at a time when physicians often moved easily between science, philosophy, and public debate.
Later in life he served as physician in Hanover and became private doctor to George III; he also attended Frederick the Great in the king's final illness. He died in Hanover in 1795, leaving behind a reputation as a court physician, essayist, and one of the era's notable medical men of letters.