"sign and symptoms and symbols"

[Terrance F. Flaherty]

Paul Mackin wrote:

>
> So what P may really be discussing here all the time is subjectivity and
> objectivity. Quite po-mo. One clue is the three word sentence "Sign and
> symptoms." Pointy is a physician by training. His professional approach to
> the mind/body problem is defined by these two terms. The sign is what the
> doctor sees in examining the patient or reads off the instrument. The
> symptom on the other hand is  what is in the patients consciousness with
> respect to his own condition.
>
> Above all, Pointy is way above average in being haunted by the mind/body
> problem--he's so repressed wouldn't we all agree.
>
> This definitely deserves further thought.
>
>                 P.

Thank you Paul,

Somehow I got the idea that this short Nabokov influenced this episode.

http://www.alkar.net/moshkow/html-KOI/NABOKOW/s_s.txt