My first journal article has now come out, and is available open access from the Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies journal! It can be viewed here, and you can read a short abstract below.
C. Plastow, 2019. ‘Doctors in Attic Forensic Oratory.’ GRBS 59.4. 575-595.
Abstract:
In Demosthenes 54 Against Conon, the speaker Ariston calls a doctor or doctors to give witness statements both to the alleged attack by Conon and the severity of his injuries. What is the context for understanding the appearance of the doctor(s) in the courtroom? This article surveys the mentions of doctors that appear in the Athenian forensic speeches to assess their presentation and rhetorical use. Both figurative and real doctors are deployed in rhetoric in a positive or negative light depending on their alignment with the litigants; some demonstrate trustworthy, reliable, and professional values, while others are incompetent, disreputable, or even criminal. This survey helps to contextualise the doctor(s) in Dem. 54 and other instances where doctors may have appeared as witnesses, by showing that they were not necessarily more credible than other witnesses by virtue of their profession, but rather could be characterised as necessary by the logographer.
Dr Christine Plastow 