What is historical significance of succussion?

One of the first techniques ever devised to help physicians diagnose lung disease was succussion.  This is a technique where the physician would grab the patient by the shoulders, shaking the patient so any fluid that may have accumulated within his body -- particularly the lungs -- could be heard.

While this technique was probably used earlier, it didn't become a common procedure until it was described by Hippocrates at around 400 B.C.  Calvin Newton, in his 1854 book, "Thoracic diseases: their patterns, diagnosis and treatment" (California, page 89) describes the technique this way:

"The term signifies a shaking; and the act consists in suddenly agitating a patient with the view of detecting the existence of fluid in some one of the cavities of the body, -- particularly, one of the pleural sacs (lungs).  Seizing, by the shoulders, an individual, as he is ordinarily seated, strongly jolt or shock his whole frame.  In this way, the sound of a contained fluid may sometimes be heard, like that of a liquid in a cask or bottle that is forcibly agitated. This has been called the metallic splash.  Sometimes, the patient in bed is able to shake himself as to give the splashing sound of the water, in the thorax.  The art was known to Hippocrates and has, hence, sometimes termed Hippocratic succussion."

Newton, however, explains that there is little reason to use this method because there were better techniques available to detect fluid inside the body, such as percussion and auscultation with a stethoscope, both of which had been well established by 1854.

Succussion is no longer used by physicians for the same reason Newton described in his book.  Could you imagine a doctor shaking you like that?