Voice Pathologies and the 'Hippocratic Triangle'

Hippocratic authors frequently utilise silence, babbling, lisping and otherverbal signs to diagnose a variety of physical illnesses and predict theircourse. This chapter examines these 'voice pathologies' and evaluatestheir impact on the dialogue between patients and Hippocratic physicians. In short, Hippocratic authors treat patients' voices in two dissonant ways. On the one hand, physicians promote some form of discourse,implicitly relying on patients to report internal sensations resulting fromillnesses. On the other hand, they develop extensive techniques to diminish and downplay this reliance. As a result, Hippocratic authors treatpatients' mouths not so much as the loci of potential subjective expression, but as orifices secreting verbal discharges. They weaken the distinction between the (sonic) effluvia of the mouth and those of other bodilyoutlets, thus bringing verbal output into close conceptual proximity withother types of discharge. Words come to be scrutinised for their quantity,quality and consistency as though they were quasi-excreta of the mouth. (see text). Announce what has happened, discern what is happening and foretellwhat will happen; attend to these things. Practice two things concerningdiseases: help or do no harm. The art consists of three parts: the disease,the diseased and the physician; the physician is the servant of the art; thediseased fights against the disease with the physician (Hipp., Epid.1.5L. 2.634.6-636.4 = Kiülewein 189,24-190, 6).