‘Nothing Human’

I was surprised to read Robert Koehler’s review of the play “Nothing Human Disgusts Me” (April 24) without any reference to the origin of the title.

The title is derived from Terence, “Heauton Timoroumenos,” Act 1, Scene 1, Line 25: “( Homo sum: ) Humani nihil a me alienum puto .” Either this information was edited out, or Koehler does not know his classics.

Incidentally, the Latin words “ Humani nihil a me alienum puto “ are used as a motto by the Devereux Foundation, an organization in Devon, Pa., for helping retarded children.

MICHAEL WASSERMAN

Los Angeles

Editor’s note: John Bartlett’s “Familiar Quotations” lists a translation of Terence’s “The Self-Tormentor,” Line 77, as “I am a man: Nothing human is alien to me.”