E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Argan,
a miserly hypochondriac. He reduced himself to this dilemma: if his apothecary would not charge less, he could not afford to be sick; but if he swallowed fewer drugs, he would suffer in health. (Molière’s Le Malade Imaginaire.)
