when
after a short time my stepmother suddenly began
to be afflicted, gentlemen of the jury, with an ailment
which was severe and unusual. I observed the

 

affliction constantly from the moment when it began,
Her form of insanity was not simple or superficial ;
some trouble of long ago, lurking in the soul, had
broken out and won its way into the open. We have,
of course, many symptoms of incurable madness,
but in the case of this woman I have observed one
that is novel; towards everyone else she is very
civil and gentle, and in their presence the disease is
peaceful, but if she sees any physician and simply
hears that he is one, she is beyond all things exasperated against him, and this in itself is proof that
her condition is bad and incurable. 
Seeing this, I was distressed and pitied the woman,
who was worthy of it and unfortunate beyond her
deserts.
 
My father, in his inexperience (for he
does not know either the origin of the trouble that
holds her in its grip, or its cause, or the extent of the
infirmity), bade me treat her and give her the same
medicine; for he thinks that madness has but one
form, that the ailment is simple, and that her illness
is identical with his, permitting the same treatment.
When I say what is as true as true can be, that it is
impossible to save his wife and confess that I am
worsted by the disorder, he is indignant and angry,
and says that I am deliberately shirking and giving
the woman up, thus making the ineffectiveness of
the art of medicine a reproach against me. He does,
indeed, what is habitually done by people who are
offended; all are angry at those who speak the
truth in frankness. In spite of that, I shall plead to
the best of my ability against him, not only for myself
but for my art.


 
 
First, I shall begin with the law under which he
wishes to disown me, in order that he may discover
that his power is now no longer what it was before.
The lawgiver, father,has not permitted all to exercise
the privilege of disownment, or upon all sons, or as
often as they choose, or upon all manner of grounds.
On the contrary, just as he has conceded to fathers
the right to exercise such anger, just so he has made
provision in behalf of sons, that they may not suffer it
unjustly ; and for that reason he has not allowed the
punishment to be inflicted freely or without trial,
but has ordered men to be summoned to court and
empanelled as investigators who will not be influenced
either by anger or by malice in determining what is
just. For he knew that many people on many
occasions are obsessed by senseless reasons for
anger; that one believes a malicious falsehood, while
another relies upon a servant or an unfriendly female.
It was not his idea, therefore, that the thing should
go untried or that sons should at once lose their case
by default. Water is measured, Time for speaking is apportioned to each side by the waterclock (κλέψυδρα). a hearing is given,
and nothing is left uninvestigated.