Numerical Simulation, An Art of Prediction, Volume 2

6The Human Body

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin – or Molière as he is more widely known as – (1622–1673), is one of the most famous French playwrights in the world. Performing the main role in most of his plays, he explored all the resources of comedy theater. Suffering from a lung disease, he died from a stroke he had on stage, while performing his last play, Le Malade Imaginaire [MOL 73]. Molière was wary of doctors at the time: the remedies they proposed had as much chance of curing a patient as they did of speeding up his death. The figure of the aging practitioner imbued with outdated knowledge appears in several pieces. Thus the character of Diafoirus, administering care to Argan, a hypochondriac, who, for his part, dreams of becoming a doctor. The final painting of the play features him as he takes the exam opening the doors of the profession. To university teachers who ask him about cures for all kinds of diseases, his answer is invariably: enema, bleeding and purging. What if the disease persists? The same cure! These answers earned him the ovations of the jury, a choir enthusiastic to welcome a new member worthy of practicing the respectable profession. To reinforce the solemnity of the examination, and to insist with humor and irony on the ridicule of the characters, Molière wrote in Latin:

“SECONDUS DOCTOR – Quæ sunt remedia quæ in maladia ditte hydropisia convenit facere?

BACHELIERUS – Clysterium donare postea seignare ensuitta purgare.

TERTIUS DOCTOR – Quæ remedia eticis, ...