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This lecture is taking place at the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta, Msida Campus.Synopsis: This lecture will explore the critical role of communication in ancient medical practice, focusing on how Hippocratic physicians engaged with their patients’ verbal reports of symptoms—a process that remains central to clinical care today. The 'Hippocratic physicians' recognized this importance, often relying on patients’ accounts to guide therapeutic measures, with the communication itself sometimes serving as a form of therapy. By investigating the role of verbal inquiry in medical diagnoses and prognosis, the lecture will reconstruct how Hippocratic physicians approached patient testimony, including the challenges of miscommunication and the possibility of deliberate deception. Drawing on recent advances in the epistemology of testimony, the talk will sketch out a model of medical reasoning about testimony in the 'Hippocratic Corpus' (esp. Wounds of the Head) and compare it to the rather better attested use of forensic witness in the lawcourts.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
University of Malta, University of Malta, Tal-Qroqq,Msida, Malta
