Musings about Samuel Johnson on the 300th anniversary of his birth

Man of words casts shadow through the centuries. «His large girth and mannerisms - contemporary interpretations of his physical movements and facial tics have led many to postulate that he had Tourette's syndrome - would preclude him from celebrity status in our visual age, but in the doctor's time it was a different story. "He was the celebrity and pop star of the 18th century," says Byrne. »