Citation and Distortion: Pierre Pomme, Voltaire and the Crafting of a Medical Reputation

In his Questions sur l’Encyclopédie Voltaire casts Doctor Pierre Pomme as an exorcist for modern times. For the philosopher, Pomme’s treatment of hysteric and hypochondriac affections exemplifies the struggle against fanaticism and ignorance. In subsequent private correspondence Pomme and Voltaire exchange letters built around Christian metaphors. The term “exorcist” evokes a series of images putting into play the status of Pomme and the discipline of medicine as a whole. This article analyses the figurative schemes developed by Pomme and Voltaire, and how the use of metaphors generates a myth of therapy .It examines how Pomme seizes upon the rhetoric employed to create an image of his role as a doctor while also pursuing strategic aims particular to his work.