Hawk this way

BY RUTH GARDE

Though saliva is essential to our oral wellbeing, most of us pay little attention to this most mundane of human secretions.

But our language suggests how critical it is both to our culture and bodies: ‘Spitting image’; ‘I could spit’; ‘swapping spit’; ‘licking one’s wounds’; ‘I spit on your grave’ are just a handful of expressions encapsulating the many uses and abuses of saliva.

‘Hawk this way’ shone a spotlight on spit by looking at the language, history, science and culture of saliva – its role in speech, taste and digestion, its potential as a forensic and diagnostic tool, and its central place in our health and identity. It explored how saliva arouses conflicting feelings of attraction and repulsion. and uncovered the origins of the spit-based phrases we use every day. It also invited the audience to take part in playful participatory activities.