Communication disorder in renaissance Italy: an unreported case analysis by Hieronymus Mercurialis (1530-1606)

This paper presents and explains an early clinical discussion of the case of a young nobleman who had developed a severe speech impediment associated with anxiety. The discussion was written by the famous Italian physician Hieronymus Mercurialis, in consultation with the renowned surgeon Gaspar Tagliacozzi, probably in the late 1580s. The case had first come to the attention of Dr. Pio Enea Caprili, who wrote to Mercurialis for an opinion. It has not heretofore been cited in the modern literature on communication disorders. The document is placed in its intellectual context and modern analogues are cited. Mercurialis' discussion belongs to a highly developed tradition of language study in medicine and natural philosophy that goes back to ancient Greece and deserves to be better known. A brief survey of late 16th century literature on voice and speech is provided in an appendix.