---
title: "On Ancient Medicine · Περὶ ἀρχαίας ἰατρικῆς"
author: "Hippocrates"
translator: "Francis Adams"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
url: https://scriptura.si/works/hippocrates-on-ancient-medicine/
cite: "Hippocrates, tr. Francis Adams, On Ancient Medicine · Περὶ ἀρχαίας ἰατρικῆς. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/hippocrates-on-ancient-medicine/"
---

# On Ancient Medicine · Περὶ ἀρχαίας ἰατρικῆς

*Hippocrates, tr. Francis Adams*

Medicine is an art built on observation, not on philosophers’ hypotheses about hot and cold.

> Greek: ed. William Henry Samuel Jones, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0627.tlg001, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Francis Adams, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0627.tlg001.perseus-eng3). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the references the two texts share (chapters and sections), cut where both reach the end of a sentence.

## Contents

1. [Sections 1–14](https://scriptura.si/works/hippocrates-on-ancient-medicine/1.md)
2. [Sections 15–24](https://scriptura.si/works/hippocrates-on-ancient-medicine/2.md)

## 1. Sections 1–14

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/hippocrates-on-ancient-medicine/1/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/hippocrates-on-ancient-medicine/1/#p-N

[¶0] 1. Whoever having undertaken to speak or write on Medicine, have first laid down for themselves some hypothesis to their argument, such as hot, or cold, or moist, or dry, or whatever else they choose (thus reducing their subject within a narrow compass, and supposing only one or two original causes of diseases or of death among mankind), are all clearly mistaken in much that they say; and this is the more reprehensible as relating to an art which all men avail themselves of on the most important occasions, and the good operators and practitioners in which they hold in especial honor. For there are practitioners, some bad and some far otherwise, which, if there had been no such thing as Medicine, and if nothing had been investigated or found out in it, would not have been the case, but all would have been equally unskilled and ignorant of it, and everything concerning the sick would have been directed by chance. But now it is not so; for, as in all the other arts, those who practise them differ much from one another in dexterity and knowledge, so is it in like manner with Medicine. Wherefore I have not thought that it stood in need of an empty hypothesis, like those subjects which are occult and dubious, in attempting to handle which it is necessary to use some hypothesis; as, for example, with regard to things above us and things below the earth; if any one should treat of these and undertake to declare how they are constituted, the reader or hearer could not find out, whether what is delivered be true or false; for there is nothing which can be referred to in order to discover the truth.

> Greek: 1. ὁπόσοι μὲν ἐπεχείρησαν περὶ ἰητρικῆς λέγειν ἢ γράφειν, ὑπόθεσιν αὐτοὶ αὐτοῖς ὑποθέμενοι τῷ λόγῳ, θερμὸν ἢ ψυχρὸν ἢ ὑγρὸν ἢ ξηρὸν ἢ ἄλλο τι ὃ ἂν θέλωσιν, ἐς βραχὺ ἄγοντες τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς αἰτίης τοῖσι ἀνθρώποισι νούσων τε καὶ θανάτου, καὶ πᾶσι τὴν αὐτήν, ἓν ἢ δύο ὑποθέμενοι, ἐν πολλοῖσι μὲν καὶ οἷσι λέγουσι καταφανέες εἰσὶ ἁμαρτάνοντες, μάλιστα δὲ ἄξιον μέμψασθαι, ὅτι ἀμφὶ τέχνης ἐούσης, ᾗ χρέονταί τε πάντες ἐπὶ τοῖσι μεγίστοισι καὶ τιμῶσι μάλιστα τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς χειροτέχνας καὶ δημιουργούς. εἰσὶν δὲ δημιουργοὶ οἱ μὲν φαῦλοι, οἱ δὲ πολλὸν διαφέροντες· ὅπερ, εἰ μὴ ἦν ἰητρικὴ ὅλως, μηδʼ ἐν αὐτῇ ἔσκεπτο μηδʼ εὕρητο μηδέν, οὐκ ἂν ἦν, ἀλλὰ πάντες ὁμοίως αὐτῆς ἄπειροί τε καὶ ἀνεπιστήμονες ἦσαν, τύχῃ δʼ ἂν πάντα τὰ τῶν καμνόντων διοικεῖτο. νῦν δʼ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τεχνέων πασέων οἱ δημιουργοὶ πολλὸν ἀλλήλων διαφέρουσιν κατὰ χεῖρα καὶ κατὰ γνώμην, οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ ἰητρικῆς. διὸ οὐκ ἠξίουν αὐτὴν ἔγωγε κενῆς ὑποθέσιος δεῖσθαι ὥσπερ τὰ ἀφανέα τε καὶ ἀπορεόμενα, περὶ ὧν ἀνάγκη, ἤν τις ἐπιχειρῇ τι λέγειν, ὑποθέσει χρῆσθαι, οἷον περὶ τῶν μετεώρων ἢ τῶν ὑπὸ γῆν· ἃ εἴ τις λέγοι καὶ γινώσκοι ὡς ἔχει, οὔτʼ ἂν αὐτῷ τῷ λέγοντι οὔτε τοῖς ἀκούουσι δῆλα ἂν εἴη, εἴτε ἀληθέα ἐστὶν εἴτε μή. οὐ γὰρ ἔστι πρὸς ὅ τι χρὴ ἀνενέγκαντα εἰδέναι τὸ σαφές.

[¶1] 2. But all these requisites belong of old to Medicine, and an origin and way have been found out, by which many and elegant discoveries have been made, during a length of time, and others will yet be found out, if a person possessed of the proper ability, and knowing those discoveries which have been made, should proceed from them to prosecute his investigations. But whoever, rejecting and despising all these, attempts to pursue another course and form of inquiry, and says he has discovered anything, is deceived himself and deceives others, for the thing is impossible. And for what reason it is impossible, I will now endeavor to explain, by stating and showing what the art really is. From this it will be manifest that discoveries cannot possibly be made in any other way. And most especially, it appears to me, that whoever treats of this art should treat of things which are familiar to the common people. For of nothing else will such a one have to inquire or treat, but of the diseases under which the common people have labored, which diseases and the causes of their origin and departure, their increase and decline, illiterate persons cannot easily find out themselves, but still it is easy for them to understand these things when discovered and expounded by others. For it is nothing more than that every one is put in mind of what had occurred to himself. But whoever does not reach the capacity of the illiterate vulgar and fails to make them listen to him, misses his mark. Wherefore, then, there is no necessity for any hypothesis.

> Greek: 2. ἰητρικῇ δὲ πάλαι πάντα ὑπάρχει, καὶ ἀρχὴ καὶ ὁδὸς εὑρημένη, καθʼ ἣν τὰ εὑρημένα πολλά τε καὶ καλῶς ἔχοντα εὕρηται ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ εὑρεθήσεται, ἤν τις ἱκανός τε ἐὼν καὶ τὰ εὑρημένα εἰδὼς ἐκ τούτων ὁρμώμενος ζητῇ. ὅστις δὲ ταῦτα ἀποβαλὼν καὶ ἀποδοκιμάσας πάντα, ἑτέρῃ ὁδῷ καὶ ἑτέρῳ σχήματι ἐπιχειρεῖ ζητεῖν, καί φησί τι ἐξευρηκέναι, ἐξηπάτηται καὶ ἐξαπατᾶται· ἀδύνατον γάρ· διʼ ἃς δὲ ἀνάγκας ἀδύνατον, ἐγὼ πειρήσομαι ἐπιδεῖξαι, λέγων καὶ ἐπιδεικνύων τὴν τέχνην ὅ τι ἐστίν. ἐκ δὲ τούτου καταφανὲς ἔσται ἀδύνατα ἐόντα ἄλλως πως τούτων εὑρίσκεσθαι. μάλιστα δέ μοι δοκεῖ περὶ ταύτης δεῖν λέγοντα τῆς τέχνης γνωστὰ λέγειν τοῖσι δημότῃσι. οὐ γὰρ περὶ ἄλλων τινῶν οὔτε ζητεῖν οὔτε λέγειν προσήκει ἢ περὶ τῶν παθημάτων ὧν αὐτοὶ οὗτοι νοσεουσί τε καὶ πονέουσι. αὐτοὺς μὲν οὖν τὰ σφέων αὐτῶν παθήματα καταμαθεῖν, ὡς γίνεται καὶ παύεται καὶ διʼ οἵας προφάσιας αὔξεταί τε καὶ φθίνει, δημότας ἐόντας οὐ ῥηίδιον· ὑπʼ ἄλλου δὲ εὑρημένα καὶ λεγόμενα, εὐπετές. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερον ἢ ἀναμιμνήσκεται ἕκαστος ἀκούων τῶν αὐτῷ συμβαινόντων. εἰ δέ τις τῆς τῶν ἰδιωτέων γνώμης ἀποτεύξεται καὶ μὴ διαθήσει τοὺς ἀκούοντας οὕτως, τοῦ ἐόντος ἀποτεύξεται. καὶ διὰ ταῦτα οὖν ταῦτα οὐδὲν δεῖ ὑποθέσιος.

[¶2] 3. For the art of Medicine would not have been invented at first, nor would it have been made a subject of investigation (for there would have been no need of it), if when men are indisposed, the same food and other articles of regimen which they eat and drink when in good health were proper for them, and if no others were preferable to these. But now necessity itself made medicine to be sought out and discovered by men, since the same things when administered to the sick, which agreed with them when in good health, neither did nor do agree with them. But to go still further back, I hold that the diet and food which people in health now use would not have been discovered, provided it had suited with man to eat and drink in like manner as the ox, the horse, and all other animals, except man, do of the productions of the earth, such as fruits, weeds, and grass; for from such things these animals grow, live free of disease, and require no other kind of food. And, at first, I am of opinion that man used the same sort of food, and that the present articles of diet had been discovered and invented only after a long lapse of time, for when they suffered much and severely from strong and brutish diet, swallowing things which were raw, unmixed, and possessing great strength, they became exposed to strong pains and diseases, and to early deaths. It is likely, indeed, that from habit they would suffer less from these things then than we would now, but still they would suffer severely even then; and it is likely that the greater number, and those who had weaker constitutions, would all perish; whereas the stronger would hold out for a longer time, as even nowadays some, in consequence of using strong articles of food, get off with little trouble, but others with much pain and suffering. From this necessity it appears to me that they would search out the food befitting their nature, and thus discover that which we now use: and that from wheat, by macerating it, stripping it of its hull, grinding it all down, sifting, toasting, and baking it, they formed bread; and from barley they formed cake (maza), performing many operations in regard to it; they boiled, they roasted, they mixed, they diluted those things which are strong and of intense qualities with weaker things, fashioning them to the nature and powers of man, and considering that the stronger things Nature would not be able to manage if administered, and that from such things pains, diseases, and death would arise, but such as Nature could manage, that from them food, growth, and health, would arise. To such a discovery and investigation what more suitable name could one give than that of Medicine? since it was discovered for the health of man, for his nourishment and safety, as a substitute for that kind of diet by which pains, diseases, and deaths were occasioned.

> Greek: 3. τὴν γὰρ ἀρχὴν οὔτʼ ἂν εὑρέθη ἡ τέχνη ἡ ἰητρικὴ οὔτʼ ἂν ἐζητήθη — οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτῆς ἔδει-εἰ τοῖσι κάμνουσι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ αὐτὰ διαιτωμένοισί τε καὶ προσφερομένοισι, ἅπερ οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες ἐσθίουσί τε καὶ πίνουσι καὶ τἄλλα διαιτέονται, συνέφερεν, καὶ μὴ ἦν ἕτερα τούτων βελτίω. νῦν δὲ αὐτὴ ἡ ἀνάγκη ἰητρικὴν ἐποίησεν ζητηθῆναί τε καὶ εὑρεθῆναι ἀνθρώποισι, ὅτι τοῖσι κάμνουσι ταὐτὰ προσφερομένοισι, ἅπερ οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες, οὐ συνέφερεν, ὡς οὐδὲ νῦν συμφέρει. ἔτι δὲ ἄνωθεν ἔγωγε ἀξιῶ οὐδʼ ἂν τὴν τῶν ὑγιαινόντων δίαιτάν τε καὶ τροφήν, ᾗ νῦν χρέονται, εὑρεθῆναι, εἰ ἐξήρκει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ταὐτὰ ἐσθίοντι καὶ πίνοντι βοΐ τε καὶ ἵππῳ καὶ πᾶσιν ἐκτὸς ἀνθρώπου, οἷον τὰ ἐκ τῆς γῆς φυόμενα, καρπούς τε καὶ ὕληνν καὶ χόρτον. ἀπὸ τούτων γὰρ καὶ τρέφονται καὶ αὔξονται καὶ ἄπονοι διάγουσιν οὐδὲν προσδεόμενοι ἄλλης διαίτης. καί τοι τήν γε ἀρχὴν ἔγωγε δοκέω καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοιαύτῃ τροφῇ κεχρῆσθαι. τὰ δὲ νῦν διαιτήματα εὑρημένα καὶ τετεχνημένα ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ γεγενῆσθαί μοι δοκεῖ. ὡς γὰρ ἔπασχον πολλά τε καὶ δεινὰ ὑπὸ ἰσχυρῆς τε καὶ θηριώδεος διαίτης ὠμά τε καὶ ἄκρητα καὶ μεγάλας δυνάμιας ἔχοντα ἐσφερόμενοι. οἷά περ ἂν καὶ νῦν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν πάσχοιεν πόνοισί τε ἰσχυροῖσι καὶ νούσοις περιπίπτοντες καὶ διὰ τάχεος θανάτοισι. ἧσσον μὲν οὖν ταῦτα τότε εἰκὸς ἦν πάσχειν διὰ τὴν συνήθειαν, ἰσχυρῶς δὲ καὶ τότε. καὶ τοὺς μὲν πλείστους τε καὶ ἀσθενεστέρην φύσιν ἔχοντας ἀπόλλυσθαι εἰκός, τοὺς δὲ τούτων ὑπερέχοντας πλείω χρόνον ἀντέχειν· ὥσπερ καὶ νῦν ἀπὸ τῶν ἰσχυρῶν βρωμάτων οἱ μὲν ῥηϊδίως ἀπαλλάσσονται, οἱ δὲ μετὰ πολλῶν πόνων τε καὶ κακῶν. διὰ δὴ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίην καὶ οὗτοί μοι δοκέουσι ζητῆσαι τροφὴν ἁρμόζουσαν τῇ φύσει καὶ εὑρεῖν ταύτην, ᾗ νῦν χρεώμεθα. ἐκ μὲν οὖν τῶν πυρῶν βρέξαντές σφας καὶ πτίσαντες καὶ καταλέσαντές τε καὶ διασήσαντες καὶ φορύξαντες καὶ ὀπτήσαντες ἀπετέλεσαν ἄρτον, ἐκ δὲ τῶν κριθέων μᾶζαν· ἄλλα τε πολλὰ περὶ ταῦτα πρηγματευσάμενοι ἥψησάν τε καὶ ὤπτησαν καὶ ἔμιξαν, καὶ ἐκέρασαν τὰ ἰσχυρά τε καὶ ἄκρητα τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις, πλάσσοντες πάντα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσιν τε καὶ δύναμιν, ἡγεύμενοι, ὅσα μὲν ἂν ἰσχυρότερα ᾖ ἢ δυνήσεται κρατεῖν ἡ φύσις, ἢν ἐμφέρηται, ἀπὸ τούτων δʼ αὐτῶν πόνους τε καὶ νούσους καὶ θανάτους ἔσεσθαι, ὁπόσων δʼ ἂν δύνηται ἐπικρατεῖν, ἀπὸ τούτων τροφήν τε καὶ αὔξησιν καὶ ὑγιείην. τῷ δὲ εὑρήματι τούτῳ καὶ ζητήματι τί ἄν τις ὄνομα δικαιότερον ἢ προσῆκον μᾶλλον θείη ἢ ἰητρικήν; ὅτι γε εὕρηται ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὑγιείῃ τε καὶ σωτηρίῃ καὶ τροφῇ, ἄλλαγμα ἐκείνης τῆς διαίτης, ἐξ ἧς οἱ πόνοι καὶ νοῦσοι καὶ θάνατοι ἐγίνοντο.

[¶3] 4. And if this is not held to be an art, I do not object. For it is not suitable to call any one an artist of that which no one is ignorant of, but which all know from usage and necessity. But still the discovery is a great one, and requiring much art and investigation. Wherefore those who devote themselves to gymnastics and training, are always making some new discovery, by pursuing the same line of inquiry, where, by eating and drinking certain things, they are improved and grow stronger than they were.

> Greek: 4. εἰ δὲ μὴ τέχνη αὕτη νομίζεται εἶναι, οὐκ ἀπεοικός· ἧς γὰρ μηδείς ἐστιν ἰδιώτης, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἐπιστήμονες διὰ τὴν χρῆσίν τε καὶ ἀνάγκην, οὐ προσήκει ταύτης οὐδένα τεχνίτην καλεῖσθαι· ἐπεὶ τό γε εὕρημα μέγα τε καὶ πολλῆς σκέψιος τε καὶ τέχνης. ἔτι γοῦν καὶ νῦν οἱ τῶν γυμνασίων τε καὶ ἀσκησίων ἐπιμελόμενοι αἰεί τι προσεξευρίσκουσιν κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν ζητέοντες ὅ τι ἐσθίων τε καὶ πίνων ἐπικρατήσει τε αὐτοῦ μάλιστα καὶ ἰσχυρότερος αὐτὸς ἑωυτοῦ ἔσται.

[¶4] 5. Let us inquire then regarding what is admitted to be Medicine; namely, that which was invented for the sake of the sick, which possesses a name and practitioners, whether it also seeks to accomplish the same objects, and whence it derived its origin. To me, then, it appears, as I said at the commencement, that nobody would have sought for medicine at all, provided the same kinds of diet had suited with men in sickness as in good health. Wherefore, even yet, such races of men as make no use of medicine, namely, barbarians, and even certain of the Greeks, live in the same way when sick as when in health; that is to say, they take what suits their appetite, and neither abstain from, nor restrict themselves in anything for which they have a desire. But those who have cultivated and invented medicine, having the same object in view as those of whom I formerly spoke, in the first place, I suppose, diminished the quantity of the articles of food which they used, and this alone would be sufficient for certain of the sick, and be manifestly beneficial to them, although not to all, for there would be some so affected as not to be able to manage even small quantities of their usual food, and as such persons would seem to require something weaker, they invented soups, by mixing a few strong things with much water, and thus abstracting that which was strong in them by dilution and boiling. But such as could not manage even soups, laid them aside, and had recourse to drinks, and so regulated them as to mixture and quantity, that they were administered neither stronger nor weaker than what was required.

> Greek: 5. σκεψώμεθα δὲ καὶ τὴν ὁμολογεομένως ἰητρικήν, τὴν ἀμφὶ τοὺς κάμνοντας εὑρημένην, ἣ καὶ ὄνομα καὶ τεχνίτας ἔχει, ἦρά τι καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐθέλει, καὶ πόθεν ποτὲ ἦρκται. ἐμοὶ μὲν γάρ, ὅπερ ἐν ἀρχῇ εἶπον, οὐδʼ ἂν ζητῆσαι ἰητρικὴν δοκεῖ οὐδείς, εἰ ταὐτὰ διαιτήματα τοῖσί τε κάμνουσι καὶ τοῖσι ὑγιαίνουσιν ἥρμοζεν. ἔτι γοῦν καὶ νῦν ὅσοι ἰητρικῇ μὴ χρέονται, οἵ τε βάρβαροι καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἔνιοι, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, ὅνπερ οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες, διαιτέονται πρὸς ἡδονήν, καὶ οὔτʼ ἂν ἀπόσχοιντο οὐδενὸς ὧν ἐπιθυμέουσιν οὔθʼ ὑποστείλαιντο ἄν. οἱ δὲ ζητήσαντες καὶ εὑρόντες ἰητρικὴν τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνοισι διάνοιαν ἔχοντες, περὶ ὧν μοι ὁ πρότερος λόγος εἴρηται, πρῶτον μέν, οἶμαι, ὑφεῖλον τοῦ πλήθεος τῶν σιτίων αὐτῶν τούτων, καὶ ἀντὶ πλειόνων ὀλίγιστα ἐποίησαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτοῖσι τοῦτο ἔστι μὲν ὅτε πρός τινας τῶν καμνόντων ἤρκεσε καὶ φανερὸν ἐγένετο ὠφελῆσαν, οὐ μέντοι πᾶσί γε, ἀλλʼ ἦσάν τινες οὕτως ἔχοντες, ὡς μὴ ὀλίγων σιτίων δύνασθαι ἐπικρατεῖν, ἀσθενεστέρου δὲ δή τινος οἱ τοιοίδε ἐδόκεον δεῖσθαι, εὗρον τὰ ῥυφήματα μίξαντες ὀλίγα τῶν ἰσχυρῶν πολλῷ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ἀφαιρεόμενοι τὸ ἰσχυρὸν τῇ κρήσει τε καὶ ἑψήσει. ὅσοι δὲ μηδὲ τῶν ῥυφημάτων ἐδύναντο ἐπικρατεῖν, ἀφεῖλον καὶ ταῦτα, καὶ ἀφίκοντο ἐς πόματα, καὶ ταῦτα τῇσι τε κρήσεσι καὶ τῷ πλήθει διαφυλάσσοντες ὡς μετρίως ἔχοι, μήτε πλείω τῶν δεόντων μήτε ἀκρη τέστερα προσφερόμενοι μηδὲ ἐνδεέστερα.

[¶5] 6. But this ought to be well known, that soups do not agree with certain persons in their diseases, but, on the contrary, when administered both the fevers and the pains are exacerbated, and it becomes obvious that what was given has proved food and increase to the disease, but a wasting and weakness to the body. But whatever persons so affected partook of solid food, or cake, or bread, even in small quantity, would be ten times and more decidedly injured than those who had taken soups, for no other reason than from the strength of the food in reference to the affection; and to whomsoever it is proper to take soups and not eat solid food, such a one will be much more injured if he eat much than if he eat little, but even little food will be injurious to him. But all the causes of the sufferance refer themselves to this rule, that the strongest things most especially and decidedly hurt man, whether in health or in disease.

> Greek: 6. εὖ δὲ χρὴ τοῦτο εἰδέναι, ὅτι τισὶ τὰ ῥυφήματα ἐν τῇσι νούσοισιν οὐ συμφέρει, ἀλλʼ ἄντικρυς, ὅταν ταῦτα προσαίρωνται, παροξύνονταί σφισι οἵ τε πυρετοὶ καὶ τὰ ἀλγήματα· καὶ δῆλον τὸ προσενεχθὲν τῇ μὲν νούσῳ τροφή τε καὶ αὔξησις γενόμενον, τῷ δὲ σώματι φθίσις τε καὶ ἀρρωστίη. ὅσοι δὲ ἂν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ διαθέσει ἐόντες προσενέγκωνται ξηρὸν σιτίον ἢ μᾶζαν ἢ ἄρτον, καὶ ἢν πάνυ σμικρόν, δεκαπλασίως ἂν μᾶλλον καὶ ἐπιφανέστερον κακωθεῖεν ἢ ῥυφέοντες, διʼ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ διὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν τοῦ βρώματος πρὸς τὴν διάθεσιν· καὶ ὅτῳ ῥυφεῖν μὲν συμφέρει, ἐσθίειν δʼ οὔ, εἰ πλείω φάγοι, πολὺ ἂν μᾶλλον κακωθείη, ἢ εἰ ὀλίγα· καὶ εἰ ὀλίγα δέ, πονήσειεν ἄν. πάντα δὴ τὰ αἴτια τοῦ πόνου ἐς τὸ αὐτὸ ἀνάγεται, τὰ ἰσχυρότατα μάλιστά τε καὶ ἐπιφανέστατα λυμαίνεσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ τὸν ὑγιᾶ ἐόντα καὶ τὸν κάμνοντα.

[¶6] 7. What other object, then, had he in view who is called a physician, and is admitted to be a practitioner of the art, who found out the regimen and diet befitting the sick, than he who originally found out and prepared for all mankind that kind of food which we all now use, in place of the former savage and brutish mode of living? To me it appears that the mode is the same, and the discovery of a similar nature. The one sought to abstract those things which the constitution of man cannot digest, because of their wildness and intemperature, and the other those things which are beyond the powers of the affection in which any one may happen to be laid up. Now, how does the one differ from the other, except that the latter admits of greater variety, and requires more application, whereas the former was the commencement of the process?

> Greek: 7. τί οὖν φαίνεται ἑτεροῖον διανοηθεὶς ὁ καλεύμενος ἰητρὸς καὶ ὁμολογεομένως χειροτέχνης, ὃς ἐξεῦρε τὴν ἀμφὶ τοὺς κάμνοντας δίαιτάν τε καὶ τροφήν, ἢ ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς τοῖσι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποισιν τροφήν, ᾗ νῦν χρώμεθα, ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς ἀγρίης τε καὶ θηριώδεος διαίτης εὑρών τε καὶ παρασκευασάμενος; ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ φαίνεται ὁ αὐτὸς λόγος καὶ ἓν καὶ ὅμοιον τὸ εὕρημα. ὁ μέν, ὅσων μὴ ἐδύνατο ἡ φύσις ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ὑγιαίνουσα ἐπικρατεῖν ἐμπιπτόντων διὰ τὴν θηριότητά τε καὶ τὴν ἀκρησίην, ὁ δέ, ὅσων ἡ διάθεσις, ἐν οἵῃ ἂν ἑκάστοτε ἕκαστος τύχῃ διακείμενος, μὴ δύνηται ἐπικρατεῖν, ταῦτα ἐζήτησεν ἀφελεῖν. τί δὴ τοῦτο ἐκείνου διαφέρει ἀλλʼ ἢ πλέον τό γε εἶδος, καὶ ὅτι ποικιλώτερον καὶ πλείονος πρηγματίης, ἀρχὴ δὲ ἐκείνη ἡ πρότερον γενομένη;

[¶7] 8. And if one would compare the diet of sick persons with that of persons in health, he will find it not more injurious than that of healthy persons in comparison with that of wild beasts and of other animals. For, suppose a man laboring under one of those diseases which are neither serious and unsupportable, nor yet altogether mild, but such as that, upon making any mistake in diet, it will become apparent, as if he should eat bread and flesh, or any other of those articles which prove beneficial to healthy persons, and that, too, not in great quantity, but much less than he could have taken when in good health; and that another man in good health, having a constitution neither very feeble, nor yet strong, eats of those things which are wholesome and strengthening to an ox or a horse, such as vetches, barley, and the like, and that, too, not in great quantity, but much less than he could take; the healthy person who did so would be subjected to no less disturbance and danger than the sick person who took bread or cake unseasonably. All these things are proofs that Medicine is to be prosecuted and discovered by the same method as the other.

> Greek: 8. εἰ δέ τις σκέπτοιτο τὴν τῶν καμνόντων δίαιταν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὑγιαινόντων, εὕροι ἂν τὴν τῶν θηρίων τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων οὐ βλαβερωτέρην πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὑγιαινόντων. ἀνὴρ γὰρ κάμνων νοσήματι μήτε τῶν χαλεπῶν τε καὶ ἀπόρων μήτε αὖ τῶν παντάπασιν εὐηθέων, ἀλλʼ ὅ τι αὐτῷ ἐξαμαρτάνοντι μέλλει ἐπίδηλον ἔσεσθαι, εἰ ἐθέλοι καταφαγεῖν ἄρτον καὶ κρέας ἢ ἄλλο τι ὧν οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες ἐσθίοντες ὠφελέονται, μὴ πολλόν, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ ἔλασσον ἢ ὑγιαίνων ἂν ἐδύνατο, ἄλλος τε τῶν ὑγιαινόντων φύσιν ἔχων μήτε παντάπασιν ἀσθενέα μήτε αὖ ἰσχυρὴν φάγοι τι ὧν βοῦς ἢ ἵππος φαγὼν ἂν ὠφελοῖτό τε καὶ ἰσχύοι, ὀρόβους ἢ κριθὰς ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων, μὴ πολύ, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μεῖον ἢ δύναιτο, οὐκ ἂν ἧσσον ὁ ὑγιαίνων τοῦτο ποιήσας πονήσειέ τε καὶ κινδυνεύσειε κείνου τοῦ νοσέοντος, ὃς τὸν ἄρτον ἢ τὴν μᾶζαν ἀκαίρως προσηνέγκατο. ταῦτα δὴ πάντα τεκμήρια, ὅτι αὕτη ἡ τέχνη πᾶσα ἡ ἰητρικὴ τῇ αὐτῇ ὁδῷ ζητεομένη εὑρίσκοιτο ἄν.

[¶8] 9. And if it were simply, as is laid down, that such things as are stronger prove injurious, but such as are weaker prove beneficial and nourishing, both to sick and healthy persons, it were an easy matter, for then the safest rule would be to circumscribe the diet to the lowest point. But then it is no less mistake, nor one that injuries a man less, provided a deficient diet, or one consisting of weaker things than what are proper, be administered. For, in the constitution of man, abstinence may enervate, weaken, and kill. And there are many other ills, different from those of repletion, but no less dreadful, arising from deficiency of food; wherefore the practice in those cases is more varied, and requires greater accuracy. For one must aim at attaining a certain measure, and yet this measure admits neither weight nor calculation of any kind, by which it may be accurately determined, unless it be the sensation of the body; wherefore it is a task to learn this accurately, so as not to commit small blunders either on the one side or the other, and in fact I would give great praise to the physician whose mistakes are small, for perfect accuracy is seldom to be seen, since many physicians seem to me to be in the same plight as bad pilots, who, if they commit mistakes while conducting the ship in a calm do not expose themselves, but when a storm and violent hurricane overtake them, they then, from their ignorance and mistakes, are discovered to be what they are, by all men, namely, in losing their ship. And thus bad and commonplace physicians, when they treat men who have no serious illness, in which case one may commit great mistakes without producing any formidable mischief (and such complaints occur much more frequently to men than dangerous ones): under these circumstances, when they commit mistakes, they do not expose themselves to ordinary men; but when they fall in with a great, a strong, and a dangerous disease, then their mistakes and want of skill are made apparent to all. Their punishment is not far off, but is swift in overtaking both the one and the other.

> Greek: 9. καὶ εἰ μὲν ἦν ἁπλοῦν, ὥσπερ ὑφήγητο, ὅσα μὲν ἦν ἰσχυρότερα, ἔβλαπτεν, ὅσα δʼ ἦν ἀσθενέστερα, ὠφέλει τε καὶ ἔτρεφεν καὶ τὸν κάμνοντα καὶ τὸν ὑγιαίνοντα, εὐπετὲς ἂν ἦν τὸ πρῆγμα· πολλὸν γὰρ τοῦ ἀσφαλέος ἂν ἔδει περιλαμβάνοντας ἄγειν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀσθενέστερον. νῦν δὲ οὐκ ἔλασσον ἁμάρτημα, οὐδὲ ἧσσον λυμαίνεται τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἢν ἐλάσσονα καὶ ἐνδεέστερα τῶν ἱκανῶν προσφέρηται. τὸ γὰρ τοῦ λιμοῦ μένος δύνα ται ἰσχυρῶς ἐν τῇ φύσει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ γυιῶσαι καὶ ἀσθενέα ποιῆσαι καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι. πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα κακὰ ἑτεροῖα τῶν ἀπὸ πληρώσιος, οὐχ ἧσσον δὲ δεινά, καὶ ἀπὸ κενώσιος. διότι πολλὸν ποικιλώτερά τε καὶ διὰ πλείονος ἀκριβείης ἐστί. δεῖ γὰρ μέτρου τινὸς στοχάσασθαι. μέτρον δὲ οὔτε ἀριθμὸν οὔτε σταθμὸν ἄλλον, πρὸς ὃ ἀναφέρων εἴσῃ τὸ ἀκριβές, οὐκ ἂν εὕροις ἀλλʼ ἢ τοῦ σώματος τὴν αἴσθησιν. διὸ ἔργον οὕτω καταμαθεῖν ἀκριβέως, ὥστε σμικρὰ ἁμαρτάνειν ἔνθα ἢ ἔνθα. κἂν ἐγὼ τοῦτον τὸν ἰητρὸν ἰσχυρῶς ἐπαινέοιμι τὸν σμικρὰ ἁμαρτάνοντα. τὸ δὲ ἀτρεκὲς ὀλιγάκις ἔστι κατιδεῖν. ἐπεὶ οἱ πολλοί γε τῶν ἰητρῶν τὰ αὐτά μοι δοκέουσιν τοῖσι κακοῖσι κυβερνήτῃσι πάσχειν. καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ὅταν ἐν γαλήνῃ κυβερνῶντες ἁμαρτάνωσιν, οὐ καταφανέες εἰσίν· ὅταν δὲ αὐτοὺς κατάσχῃ χειμών τε μέγας καὶ ἄνεμος ἐξώστης, φανερῶς πᾶσιν ἤδη ἀνθρώποις διʼ ἀγνωσίην καὶ ἁμαρτίην δῆλοί εἰσιν ἀπολέσαντες τὴν ναῦν. οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ κακοί τε καὶ οἱ πλεῖστοι ἰητροί, ὅταν μὲν θεραπεύωσιν ἀνθρώπους μηδὲν δεινὸν ἔχοντας, ἐς οὓς ἄν τις τὰ μέγιστα ἐξαμαρτάνων οὐδὲν δεινὸν ἐργάσαιτο-πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα νοσήματα καὶ πολλόν τι πλείω τῶν δεινῶν ἀνθρώποις συμβαίνει — ἐν μὲν τοῖσι τοιούτοις ἁμαρτάνοντες οὐ καταφανέες εἰσὶν τοῖσιν ἰδιώτῃσιν· ὅταν δʼ ἐντύχωσιν μεγάλῳ τε καὶ ἰσχυρῷ καὶ ἐπισφαλεῖ νοσήματι, τότε σφέων τά τε ἁμαρτήματα καὶ ἡ ἀτεχνίη πᾶσι καταφανής· οὐ γὰρ ἐς μακρὸν αὐτῶν ἑκατέρου αἱ τιμωρίαι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τάχεος πάρεισιν.

[¶9] 10. And that no less mischief happens to a man from unseasonable depletion than from repletion, may be clearly seen upon reverting to the consideration of persons in health. For, to some, with whom it agrees to take only one meal in the day, and they have arranged it so accordingly; whilst others, for the same reason, also take dinner, and this they do because they find it good for them, and not like those persons who, for pleasure or from any casual circumstance, adopt the one or the other custom and to the bulk of mankind it is of little consequence which of these rules they observe, that is to say, whether they make it a practice to take one or two meals. But there are certain persons who cannot readily change their diet with impunity; and if they make any alteration in it for one day, or even for a part of a day, are greatly injured thereby. Such persons, provided they take dinner when it is not their wont, immediately become heavy and inactive, both in body and mind, and are weighed down with yawning, slumbering, and thirst; and if they take supper in addition, they are seized with flatulence, tormina, and diarrhea, and to many this has been the commencement of a serious disease, when they have merely taken twice in a day the same food which they have been in the custom of taking once. And thus, also, if one who has been accustomed to dine, and this rule agrees with him, should not dine at the accustomed hour, he will straightway feel great loss of strength, trembling, and want of spirits, the eyes of such a person will become more pallid, his urine thick and hot, his mouth bitter; his bowels will seem, as it were, to hang loose; he will suffer from vertigo, lowness of spirit, and inactivity,—such are the effects; and if he should attempt to take at supper the same food which he was wont to partake of at dinner, it will appear insipid, and he will not be able to take it off; and these things, passing downwards with tormina and rumbling, burn up his bowels; he experiences insomnolency or troubled and disturbed dreams; and to many of them these symptoms are the commencement of some disease.

> Greek: 10. ὅτι δʼ οὐδὲν ἐλάσσους ἀπὸ κενώσιος ἀκαίρου κακοπάθειαι γίνονται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἢ ἀπὸ πληρώσιος, καταμανθάνειν καλῶς ἔχει ἐπαναφέροντας ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας. ἔστι γὰρ οἷσιν αὐτῶν συμφέρει μονοσιτεῖν, καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τὸ συμφέρον οὕτως αὐτοὶ ἐτάξαντο, ἄλλοισι δὲ ἀριστῆν διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀνάγκην· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοῖσι συμφέρει. καὶ μὴν τοῦτʼ εἰσὶ οἳ διʼ ἡδονὴν ἢ διʼ ἄλλην τινὰ συγκυρίην ἐπετήδευσαν ὁπότερον αὐτῶν. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ πλείστοισι τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲν διαφέρει, ὁπότερον ἂν ἐπιτηδεύσωσιν, εἴτε μονοσιτεῖν εἴτε ἀριστῆν, τούτῳ τῷ ἔθει χρῆσθαι. εἰσὶ δέ τινες οἳ οὐκ ἂν δύναιντο ἔξω τοῦ συμφέροντος ποιέοντες ῥηϊδίως ἀπαλλάσσειν, ἀλλὰ συμβαίνει αὐτῶν ἑκατέροισι παρʼ ἡμέρην μιαν καὶ ταύτην οὐχ ὅλην μεταβάλλουσιν ὑπερφυὴς κακοπάθεια. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἢν ἀριστήσωσιν μὴ συμφέροντος αὐτοῖσι, εὐθέως βαρέες καὶ νωθροὶ καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὴν γνώμην χάσμης τε καὶ νυσταγμοῦ καὶ δίψης πλήρεες· ἢν δὲ καὶ ἐπιδειπνήσωσι, καὶ φῦσα καὶ στρόφος καὶ ἡ κοιλίη καταρρήγνυται. καὶ πολλοῖσιν ἀρχὴ νούσου αὕτη μεγάλης ἐγένετο, καὶ ἢν τὰ σιτία, ἃ μεμαθήκεσαν ἅπαξ ἀναλίσκειν, ταῦτα δὶς προσενέγκωνται καὶ μηδὲν πλείω. τοῦτο δέ, ἢν ἀριστῆν μεμαθηκώς τις — καὶ οὕτως αὐτῷ συμφέρον ἦν — μὴ ἀριστήσῃ, ὅταν τάχιστα παρέλθῃ ἡ ὥρη, εὐθὺς ἀδυναμίη δεινή, τρόμος, ἀψυχίη· ἐπὶ τούτοις ὀφθαλμοὶ κοῖλοι, οὖρον χλωρότερον καὶ θερμότερον, στόμα πικρόν, καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα δοκεῖ οἱ κρέμασθαι, σκοτοδινίη, δυσθυμίη, δυσεργείη. ταῦτα δὲ πάντα, καὶ ὅταν δειπνεῖν ἐπιχειρήσῃ, ἀηδέστερος μὲν ὁ σῖτος, ἀναλίσκειν δὲ οὐ δύναται ὅσα ἀριστιζόμενος πρότερον ἐδείπνει. ταῦτα δὲ αὐτὰ μετὰ στρόφον καὶ ψόφου καταβαίνοντα συγκαίει τὴν κοιλίην, δυσκοιτέουσί τε καὶ ἐνυπνιάζουσι τεταραγμένα τε καὶ θορυβώδεα. πολλοῖσι δὲ καὶ τούτων αὕτη ἀρχὴ νούσου ἐγένετο.

[¶10] 11. But let us inquire what are the causes of these things which happened to them. To him, then, who was accustomed to take only one meal in the day, they happened because he did not wait the proper time, until his bowels had completely derived benefit from and had digested the articles taken at the preceding meal, and until his belly had become soft, and got into a state of rest, but he gave it a new supply while in a state of heat and fermentation, for such bellies digest much more slowly, and require more rest and ease. And as to him who had been accustomed to dinner, since, as soon as the body required food, and when the former meal was consumed, and he wanted refreshment, no new supply was furnished to it, he wastes and is consumed from want of food. For all the symptoms which I describe as befalling to this man I refer to want of food. And I also say that all men who, when in a state of health, remain for two or three days without food, experience the same unpleasant symptoms as those which I described in the case of him who had omitted to take dinner.

> Greek: 11. σκέψασθαι δὲ χρή, διὰ τίνα αἰτίην αὐτοῖσιν ταῦτα συνέβη. τῷ μέν, οἶμαι, μεμαθηκότι μονοσιτεῖν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνέμεινεν τὸν χρόνον τὸν ἱκανόν, μέχρι αὐτοῦ ἡ κοιλίη τῶν τῇ προτεραίῃ προσενηνεγμένων σιτίων ἀπολαύσῃ τελέως καὶ ἐπικρατήσῃ καὶ λαπαχθῇ τε καὶ ἡσυχάσῃ, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ ζέουσάν τε καὶ ἐζυμωμένην καινὰ ἐπεσηνέγκατο. αἱ δὲ τοιαῦται κοιλίαι πολλῷ τε βραδύτερον πέσσουσι καὶ πλείονος δέονται ἀναπαύσιός τε καὶ ἡσυχίης. ὁ δὲ μεμαθηκὼς ἀριστίζεσθαι, διότι, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα ἐδεήθη τὸ σῶμα τροφῆς καὶ τὰ πρότερα κατανάλωτο καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν οὐδεμίαν ἀπόλαυσιν, οὐκ εὐθέως αὐτῷ προσεγένετο καινὴ τροφή, φθίνει δὴ καὶ συντήκεται ὑπὸ λιμοῦ. πάντα γάρ, ἃ λέγω πάσχειν τὸν τοιοῦτον ἄνθρωπον, λιμῷ ἀνατίθημι. φημὶ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους ἅπαντας, οἵτινες ἂν ὑγιαίνοντες ἄσιτοι δύο ἡμέρας ἢ τρεῖς γένωνται, ταῦτα πείσεσθαι, οἷάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναρίστων γενομένων εἴρηκα.

[¶11] 12. Wherefore, I say, that such constitutions as suffer quickly and strongly from errors in diet, are weaker than others that do not; and that a weak person is in a state very nearly approaching to one in disease; but a person in disease is the weaker, and it is, therefore, more likely that he should suffer if he encounters anything that is unseasonable. It is difficult, seeing that there is no such accuracy in the Art, to hit always upon what is most expedient, and yet many cases occur in medicine which would require this accuracy, as we shall explain. But on that account, I say, we ought not to reject the ancient Art, as if it were not, and had not been properly founded, because it did not attain accuracy in all things, but rather, since it is capable of reaching to the greatest exactitude by reasoning, to receive it and admire its discoveries, made from a state of great ignorance, and as having been well and properly made, and not from chance.

> Greek: 12. τὰς δὲ τοιαύτας φύσιας ἔγωγέ φημι τὰς ταχέως τε καὶ ἰσχυρῶς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπολαυούσας ἀσθενεστέρας εἶναι τῶν ἑτέρων. ἐγγύτατα δὲ τοῦ ἀσθενέοντός ἐστιν ὁ ἀσθενής, ἔτι δὲ ἀσθενέστερος ὁ ἀσθενέων, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτῷ προσήκει ὅ τι ἂν τοῦ καιροῦ ἀποτυγχάνῃ πονεῖν. χαλεπὸν δὲ τοιαύτης ἀκριβείης ἐούσης περὶ τὴν τέχνην τυγχάνειν αἰεὶ τοῦ ἀτρεκεστάτου. πολλὰ δὲ εἴδεα κατʼ ἰητρικὴν ἐς τοσαύτην ἀκρίβειαν ἥκει, περὶ ὧν εἰρήσεται. οὔ φημι δὲ δεῖν διὰ τοῦτο τὴν τέχνην ὡς οὐκ ἐοῦσαν οὐδὲ καλῶς ζητεομένην τὴν ἀρχαίην ἀποβάλλεσθαι, εἰ μὴ ἔχει περὶ πάντα ἀκρίβειαν, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον διὰ τὸ ἐγγὺς οἶμαι τοῦ ἀτρεκεστάτου δύνασθαι ἥκειν λογισμῷ ἐκ πολλῆς ἀγνωσίης θαυμάζειν τὰ ἐξευρημένα, ὡς καλῶς καὶ ὀρθῶς ἐξεύρηται καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ τύχης.

[¶12] 13. But I wish the discourse to revert to the new method of those who prosecute their inquiries in the Art by hypothesis. For if hot, or cold, or moist, or dry, be that which proves injurious to man, and if the person who would treat him properly must apply cold to the hot, hot to the cold, moist to the dry, and dry to the moist—let me be presented with a man, not indeed one of a strong constitution, but one of the weaker, and let him eat wheat, such as it is supplied from the thrashing-floor, raw and unprepared, with raw meat, and let him drink water. By using such a diet I know that he will suffer much and severely, for he will experience pains, his body will become weak, and his bowels deranged, and he will not subsist long. What remedy, then, is to be provided for one so situated? Hot? or cold? or moist? or dry? For it is clear that it must be one or other of these. For, according to this principle, if it is one of the which is injuring the patient, it is to be removed by its contrary. But the surest and most obvious remedy is to change the diet which the person used, and instead of wheat to give bread, and instead of raw flesh, boiled, and to drink wine in addition to these; for by making these changes it is impossible but that he must get better, unless completely disorganized by time and diet. What, then, shall we say? whether that, as he suffered from cold, these hot things being applied were of use to him, or the contrary? I should think this question must prove a puzzler to whomsoever it is put. For whether did he who prepared bread out of wheat remove the hot, the cold, the moist, or the dry principle in it?—for the bread is consigned both to fire and to water, and is wrought with many things, each of which has its peculiar property and nature, some of which it loses, and with others it is diluted and mixed.

> Greek: 13. ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν τὸν καινὸν τρόπον τὴν τέχνην ζητεύντων ἐξ ὑποθέσιος τὸν λόγον ἐπανελθεῖν βούλομαι. εἰ γάρ τί ἐστιν θερμὸν ἢ ψυχρὸν ἢ ξηρὸν ἢ ὑγρὸν τὸ λυμαινόμενον τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ δεῖ τὸν ὀρθῶς ἰητρεύοντα βοηθεῖν τῷ μὲν θερμῷ ἐπὶ τὸ ψυχρόν, τῷ δὲ ψυχρῷ ἐπὶ τὸ θερμόν, τῷ δὲ ξηρῷ ἐπὶ τὸ ὑγρόν, τῷ δὲ ὑγρῷ ἐπὶ τὸ ξηρόν. ἔστω μοι ἄνθρωπος μὴ τῶν ἰσχυρῶν φύσει, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων· οὗτος δὲ πυροὺς ἐσθιέτω, οὓς ἂν ἀπὸ τῆς ἅλω ἀνέλῃ, ὠμοὺς καὶ ἀργούς, καὶ κρέα ὠμὰ καὶ πινέτω ὕδωρ. ταύτῃ χρεώμενος τῇ διαίτῃ εὖ οἶδʼ ὅτι πείσεται πολλὰ καὶ δεινά· καὶ γὰρ πόνους πονήσει καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀσθενὲς ἔσται καὶ ἡ κοιλίη φθαρήσεται καὶ ζῆν πολὺν χρόνον οὐ δυνήσεται. τί δὴ χρὴ βοήθημα παρεσκευάσθαι ὧδʼ ἔχοντι; θερμὸν ἢ ψυχρὸν ἢ ξηρὸν ἢ ὑγρόν; δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι τούτων τι. εἰ γὰρ τὸ λυμαινόμενόν ἐστιν τούτων τὸ ἕτερον, τῷ ὑπεναντίῳ προσήκει λῦσαι, ὡς ὁ ἐκείνων λόγος ἔχει. τὸ μὲν γὰρ βεβαιότατόν τε καὶ προφανέστατον φάρμακον ἀφελόντα τὰ διαιτήματα, οἷς ἐχρῆτο, ἀντὶ μὲν τῶν πυρῶν ἄρτον διδόναι, ἀντὶ δὲ τῶν ὠμῶν κρεῶν ἑφθά, πιεῖν τε ἐπὶ τούτοισιν οἴνου. ταῦτα μεταβαλόντα οὐχ οἷόν τε μὴ οὐχ ὑγιᾶ γενέσθαι, ἤν γε μὴ παντάπασιν ᾖ διεφθαρμένος ὑπὸ χρόνου τε καὶ τῆς διαίτης. τί δὴ φήσομεν; πότερον αὐτῷ ἀπὸ ψυχροῦ κακοπαθέοντι θερμὰ ταῦτα προσενέγκαντες ὠφέλησαν ἢ τἀναντία; οἶμαι γὰρ ἔγωγε πολλὴν ἀπορίην τῷ ἐρωτηθέντι παρασχεῖν. ὁ γὰρ τὸν ἄρτον παρασκευάζων τῶν πυρῶν τὸ θερμὸν ἢ τὸ ψυχρὸν ἢ τὸ ξηρὸν ἢ τὸ ὑγρὸν ἀφείλατο; ὃ γὰρ καὶ πυρὶ καὶ ὕδατι δέδοται καὶ ἄλλοις πολλοῖσι ἤργασται, ὧν ἕκαστον ἰδίην δύναμιν καὶ φύσιν ἔχει, τὰ μὲν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἀποβέβληκε, ἄλλοισι δὲ κέκρηταί τε καὶ μέμικται.

[¶13] 14. And this I know, moreover, that to the human body it makes a great difference whether the bread be fine or coarse; of wheat with or without the hull, whether mixed with much or little water, strongly wrought or scarcely at all, baked or raw—and a multitude of similar differences; and so, in like manner, with the cake (maza); the powers of each, too, are great, and the one nowise like the other. Whoever pays no attention to these things, or, paying attention, does not comprehend them, how can he understand the diseases which befall a man? For, by every one of these things, a man is affected and changed this way or that, and the whole of his life is subjected to them, whether in health, convalescence, or disease. Nothing else, then, can be more important or more necessary to know than these things. So that the first inventors, pursuing their investigations properly, and by a suitable train of reasoning, according to the nature of man, made their discoveries, and thought the Art worthy of being ascribed to a god, as is the established belief. For they did not suppose that the dry or the moist, the hot or the cold, or any of these are either injurious to man, or that man stands in need of them, but whatever in each was strong, and more than a match for a man’s constitution, whatever he could not manage, that they held to be hurtful, and sought to remove. Now, of the sweet, the strongest is that which is intensely sweet; of the bitter, that which is intensely bitter; of the acid, that which is intensely acid; and of all things that which is extreme, for these things they saw both existing in man, and proving injurious to him. For there is in man the bitter and the salt, the sweet and the acid, the sour and the insipid, and a multitude of other things having all sorts of powers both as regards quantity and strength. These, when all mixed and mingled up with one another, are not apparent, neither do they hurt a man; but when any of them is separate, and stands by itself, then it becomes perceptible, and hurts a man. And thus, of articles of food, those which are unsuitable and hurtful to man when administered, every one is either bitter, or intensely so, or saltish or acid, or something else intense and strong, and therefore we are disordered by them in like manner as we are by the secretions in the body. But all those things which a man eats and drinks are devoid of any such intense and well-marked quality, such as bread, cake, and many other things of a similar nature which man is accustomed to use for food, with the exception of condiments and confectioneries, which are made to gratify the palate and for luxury. And from those things, when received into the body abundantly, there is no disorder nor dissolution of the powers belonging to the body; but strength, growth, and nourishment result from them, and this for no other reason than because they are well mixed, have nothing in them of an immoderate character, nor anything strong, but the whole forms one simple and not strong substance.

> Greek: 14. οἶδα μὲν γὰρ καὶ τάδε δήπου, ὅτι διαφέρει ἐς τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καθαρὸς ἄρτος ἢ συγκομιστός, ἢ ἀπτίστων πυρῶν ἢ ἐπτισμένων, ἢ πολλῷ ὕδατι πεφυρημένος ἢ ὀλίγῳ, ἢ ἰσχυρῶς πεφυρημένος ἢ ἀφύρητος, ἢ ἔξοπτος ἢ ἔνωμος, ἄλλα τε πρὸς τούτοισι μυρία. ὡς δʼ αὔτως καὶ περὶ μάζης. καὶ αἱ δυνάμιες μεγάλαι τε ἑκάστου καὶ οὐδὲν ἡ ἑτέρη τῇ ἑτέρῃ ἐοικυῖα. ὅστις δὲ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐπέσκεπται ἢ σκεπτόμενος οὐκ οἶδεν, πῶς ἄν τι οὗτος δύναιτο τῶν κατʼ ἄνθρωπον παθημάτων εἰδέναι; ὑπὸ γὰρ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου τούτων πάσχει τε καὶ ἑτεροιοῦται ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἢ τοῖον ἢ τοῖον. καὶ διὰ τούτων πᾶς ὁ βίος καὶ ὑγιαίνοντι καὶ ἐκ νούσου ἀνατρεφομένῳ καὶ κάμνοντι. οὐκ ἂν οὖν ἕτερα τούτων χρησιμώτερα οὐδὲ ἀναγκαιότερα εἴη εἰδέναι δήπου, ὡς δὲ καλῶς καὶ λογισμῷ προσήκοντι ζητήσαντες πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσιν εὗρον αὐτὰ οἱ πρῶτοι εὑρόντες καὶ ᾠήθησαν ἀξίην τὴν τέχνην θεῷ προσθεῖναι, ὥσπερ καὶ νομίζεται. οὐ γὰρ τὸ ξηρὸν οὐδὲ τὸ ὑγρὸν οὐδὲ τὸ θερμὸν οὐδὲ τὸ ψυχρὸν οὐδὲ ἄλλο τούτων ἡγησάμενοι οὐδὲν οὔτε λυμαίνεσθαι οὔτε προσδεῖσθαι οὐδενὸς τούτων τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν ἑκάστου καὶ τὸ κρέσσον τῆς φύσιος τῆς ἀνθρωπείης, οὗ μὴ ἠδύνατο κρατεῖν, τοῦτο βλά πτειν ἡγήσαντο καὶ τοῦτο ἐζήτησαν ἀφαιρεῖν. ἰσχυρότατον δʼ ἐστὶ τοῦ μὲν γλυκέος τὸ γλυκύτατον, τοῦ δὲ πικροῦ τὸ πικρότατον, τοῦ δὲ ὀξέος τὸ ὀξύτατον, ἑκάστου δὲ πάντων τῶν ἐνεόντων ἡ ἀκμή. ταῦτα γὰρ ἑώρων καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐνεόντα καὶ λυμαινόμενα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. ἔνι γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ ἁλμυρὸν καὶ πικρὸν καὶ γλυκὺ καὶ ὀξὺ καὶ στρυφνὸν καὶ πλαδαρὸν καὶ ἄλλα μυρία παντοίας δυνάμιας ἔχοντα πλῆθός τε καὶ ἰσχύν. ταῦτα μὲν μεμιγμένα καὶ κεκρημένα ἀλλήλοισιν οὔτε φανερά ἐστιν οὔτε λυπεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. ὅταν δέ τι τούτων ἀποκριθῇ καὶ αὐτὸ ἐφʼ ἑωυτοῦ γένηται, τότε καὶ φανερόν ἐστι καὶ λυπεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον· τοῦτο δέ, τῶν βρωμάτων ὅσα ἡμῖν ἀνεπιτήδειά ἐστιν καὶ λυμαίνεται τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐμπεσόντα, τούτων ἓν ἕκαστον ἢ πικρόν ἐστιν ἢ ἁλμυρὸν ἢ ὀξὺ ἢ ἄλλο τι ἄκρητόν τε καὶ ἰσχυρόν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ταρασσόμεθα ὑπʼ αὐτῶν, ὥσπερ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῷ σώματι ἀποκρινομένων. πάντα δὲ ὅσα ἄνθρωπος ἐσθίει ἢ πίνει, τὰ τοιαῦτα βρώματα ἥκιστα τοιούτου χυμοῦ ἀκρήτου τε καὶ διαφέροντος δῆλά ἐστιν μετέχοντα, οἷον ἄρτος τε καὶ μᾶζα καὶ τὰ ἑπόμενα τούτοις, οἷς εἴθισται ὁ ἄνθρωπος πλείστοισί τε καὶ αἰεὶ χρῆσθαι, ἔξω τῶν πρὸς ἡδονήν τε καὶ κόρον ἠρτυμένων τε καὶ ἐσκευασμένων. καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων πλείστων ἐσιόντων ἐς τὸν ἄνθρωπον τάραχος καὶ ἀπόκρισις τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸ σῶμα δυναμίων ἥκιστα γίνεται, ἰσχὺς δὲ καὶ αὔξησις καὶ τροφὴ μάλιστα διʼ οὐδὲν ἕτερον γίνεται ἢ ὅτι εὖ τε κέκρηται καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχει οὔτε ἄκρητον οὔτε ἰσχυρόν, ἀλλʼ ὅλον ἕν τε γέγονε καὶ ἁπλοῦν.

## 2. Sections 15–24

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/hippocrates-on-ancient-medicine/2/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/hippocrates-on-ancient-medicine/2/#p-N

[¶0] 15. I cannot think in what manner they who advance this doctrine, and transfer Art from the cause I have described to hypothesis, will cure men according to the principle which they have laid down. For, as far as I know, neither the hot nor the cold, nor the dry, nor the moist, has ever been found unmixed with any other quality; but I suppose they use the same articles of meat and drink as all we other men do. But to this substance they give the attribute of being hot, to that cold, to that dry, and to that moist. Since it would be absurd to advise the patient to take something hot, for he would straightway ask what it is? so that he must either play the fool, or have recourse to some one of the well known substances; and if this hot thing happen to be sour, and that hot thing insipid, and this hot thing has the power of raising a disturbance in the body (and there are many other kinds of heat, possessing many opposite powers), he will be obliged to administer some one of them, either the hot and the sour, or the hot and the insipid, or that which, at the same time, is cold and sour (for there is such a substance), or the cold and the insipid. For, as I think, the very opposite effects will result from either of these, not only in man, but also in a bladder, a vessel of wood, and in many other things possessed of far less sensibility than man; for it is not the heat which is possessed of great efficacy, but the sour and the insipid, and other qualities as described by me, both in man and out of man, and that whether eaten or drunk, rubbed in externally, and otherwise applied.

> Greek: 15. Ἀπορέω δʼ ἔγωγε, οἱ τὸν λόγον ἐκεῖνον λέγοντες καὶ ἄγοντες ἐκ ταύτης τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐπὶ ὑπόθεσιν τὴν τέχνην τίνα ποτὲ τρόπον θεραπεύουσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὥσπερ ὑποτίθενται. οὐ γάρ ἐστιν αὐτοῖς, οἶμαι, ἐξευρημένον αὐτό τι ἐφʼ ἑωυτοῦ θερμὸν ἢ ψυχρὸν ἢ ξηρὸν ἢ ὑγρὸν μηδενὶ ἄλλῳ εἴδει κοινωνέον. ἀλλʼ οἴομαι ἔγωγε ταὐτὰ βρώματα καὶ πόματα αὐτοῖσι ὑπάρχειν, οἷσι πάντες χρεώμεθα. προστιθέασι δὲ τῷ μὲν εἶναι θερμῷ, τῷ δὲ ψυχρῷ, τῷ δὲ ξηρῷ, τῷ δὲ ὑγρῷ, ἐπεὶ ἐκεῖνό γε ἄπορον προστάξαι τῷ κάμνοντι θερμόν τι προσενέγκασθαι. εὐθὺ γὰρ ἐρωτήσει· τί; ὥστε ληρεῖν ἀνάγκη ἢ ἐς τούτων τι τῶν γινωσκομένων καταφεύγειν. εἰ δὲ δὴ τυγχάνει τι θερμὸν ἐὸν στρυφνόν, ἄλλο δὲ θερμὸν ἐὸν πλαδαρόν, ἄλλο δὲ θερμὸν ἄραδον ἔχον — ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ θερμὰ καὶ ἄλλας δυνάμιας ἔχοντα ἑωυτοῖς ὑπεναντίας — ἦ διοίσει τι αὐτῶν προσενεγκεῖν τὸ θερμὸν καὶ στρυφνὸν ἢ τὸ θερμὸν καὶ πλαδαρὸν ἢ ἅμα τὸ ψυχρὸν καὶ στρυφνόν — ἔστι γὰρ καὶ τοιοῦτο — ἢ τὸ ψυχρόν τε καὶ πλαδαρόν· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐγὼ οἶδα, πᾶν τοὐναντίον ἀφʼ ἑκατέρου αὐτῶν ἀποβαίνει, οὐ μοῦνον ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν σκύτει καὶ ἐν ξύλῳ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις πολλοῖς, ἅ ἐστιν ἀνθρώπου ἀναισθητότερα. οὐ γὰρ τὸ θερμόν ἐστιν τὸ τὴν μεγάλην δύναμιν ἔχον, ἀλλὰ τὸ στρυφνὸν καὶ τὸ πλαδαρὸν καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα μοι εἴρηται καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ ἔξω τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ἐσθιόμενα καὶ πινόμενα καὶ ἔξωθεν ἐπιχριό μενά τε καὶ προσπλασσόμενα.

[¶1] 16. But I think that of all the qualities heat and cold exercise the least operation in the body, for these reasons: as long time as hot and cold are mixed up with one another they do not give trouble, for the cold is attempered and rendered more moderate by the hot, and the hot by the cold; but when the one is wholly separate from the other, then it gives pain; and at that season when cold is applied it creates some pain to a man, but quickly, for that very reason, heat spontaneously arises in him without requiring any aid or preparation. And these things operate thus both upon men in health and in disease. For example, if a person in health wishes to cool his body during winter, and bathes either in cold water or in any other way, the more he does this, unless his body be fairly congealed, when he resumes his clothes and comes into a place of shelter, his body becomes more heated than before. And thus, too, if a person wish to be warmed thoroughly either by means of a hot bath or strong fire, and straight-way having the same clothing on, takes up his abode again in the place he was in when he became congealed, he will appear much colder, and more disposed to chills than before. And if a person fan himself on account of a suffocating heat, and having procured refrigeration for himself in this manner, cease doing so, the heat and suffocation will be ten times greater in his case than in that of a person who does nothing of the kind. And, to give a more striking example, persons travelling in the snow, or otherwise in rigorous weather, and contracting great cold in their feet, their hands, or their head, what do they not suffer from inflammation and tingling when they put on warm clothing and get into a hot place? In some instances, blisters arise as if from burning with fire, and they do not suffer from any of those unpleasant symptoms until they become heated. So readily does either of these pass into the other; and I could mention many other examples. And with regard to the sick, is it not in those who experience a rigor that the most acute fever is apt to break out? And yet not so strongly neither, but that it ceases in a short time, and, for the most part, without having occasioned much mischief; and while it remains, it is hot, and passing over the whole body, ends for the most part in the feet, where the chills and cold were most intense and lasted longest; and, when sweat supervenes, and the fever passes off, the patient is much colder than if he had not taken the fever at all. Why then should that which so quickly passes into the opposite extreme, and loses its own powers spontaneously, be reckoned a mighty and serious affair? And what necessity is there for any great remedy for it?

> Greek: 16. ψυχρότητα δʼ ἐγὼ καὶ θερμότητα πασέων ἥκιστα τῶν δυναμίων νομίζω δυναστεύειν ἐν τῷ σώματι διὰ τάσδε τὰς αἰτίας· ὃν μὲν ἂν δήπου χρόνον μεμιγμένα αὐτὰ ἑωυτοῖς ἅμα τὸ θερμόν τε καὶ ψυχρὸν ἐνῇ, οὐ λυπεῖ. κρῆσις γὰρ καὶ μετριότης τῷ μὲν θερμῷ γίνεται ἀπὸ τοῦ ψυχροῦ, τῷ δὲ ψυχρῷ ἀπὸ τοῦ θερμοῦ. ὅταν δʼ ἀποκριθῇ χωρὶς ἑκάτερον, τότε λυπεῖ. ἐν δὲ δὴ τούτῳ τῷ καιρῷ, ὅταν τὸ ψυχρὸν ἐπιγένηται καί τι λυπήσῃ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, διὰ τάχεος πρῶτον διʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πάρεστιν τὸ θερμὸν αὐτόθεν ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, οὐδεμιῆς βοηθείης οὐδὲ παρασκευῆς δεόμενον. καὶ ταῦτα καὶ ἐν ὑγιαίνουσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀπεργάζεται καὶ ἐν κάμνουσι. τοῦτο μέν, εἴ τις θέλει ὑγιαίνων χειμῶνος διαψῦξαι τὸ σῶμα ἢ λουσάμενος ψυχρῷ ἢ ἄλλῳ τῳ τρόπῳ, ὅσῳ ἂν ἐπὶ πλεῖον αὐτὸ ποιήσῃ, καὶ ἤν γε μὴ παντάπασιν παγῇ τὸ σῶμα, ὅταν εἵματα λάβῃ καὶ ἔλθῃ ἐς τὴν σκέπην, ἔτι μᾶλλον καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον θερμαίνεται τὸ σῶμα· τοῦτο δέ, εἰ ἐθέλοι ἐκθερμανθῆναι ἰσχυρῶς ἢ λουτρῷ θερμῷ ἢ πυρὶ πολλῷ, ἐκ δὲ τούτου τὸ αὐτὸ εἷμα ἔχων ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χωρίῳ τὴν διατριβὴν ποιεῖσθαι ὥσπερ διεψυγμένος, πολὺ φαίνεται καὶ ψυχρότερος καὶ ἄλλως φρικαλεώτερος· ἢ εἰ ῥιπιζόμενός τις ὑπὸ πνίγεος καὶ παρασκευαζόμενος αὐτὸς ἑωυτῷ ψῦχος ἐκ τοιούτου ἂν τρόπου διαπαύσαιτο τοῦτο ποιέων, δεκαπλάσιον ἔσται τὸ καῦμα καὶ πνῖγος ἢ τῷ μηδὲν τοιοῦτο ποιέοντι. τόδε δὴ καὶ πολὺ μέζον· ὅσοι ἂν διὰ χιόνος ἢ ἄλλου ψύχεος βαδίσαντες ῥιγώσωσι διαφερόντως πόδας ἢ χεῖρας ἢ κεφαλήν, οἷα πάσχουσιν ἐς τὴν νύκτα, ὅταν περισταλεωσί τε καὶ ἐν ἀλέῃ γένωνται ὑπὸ καύματος καὶ κνησμοῦ. καὶ ἔστιν οἷσι φλύκταιναι ἀνίστανται ὥσπερ τοῖς ἀπὸ πυρὸς κατακεκαυμένοις. καὶ οὐ πρότερον τοῦτο πάσχουσιν, πρὶν θερμανθέωσιν. οὕτως ἑτοίμως ἑκάτερον αὐτῶν ἐπὶ θάτερον παραγίνεται. μυρία δʼ ἂν καὶ ἄλλα ἔχοιμι εἰπεῖν. τὰ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς νοσέοντας, οὐχὶ ὅσοις ἂν ῥῖγος γένηται, τούτοις ὀξύτατος ὁ πυρετὸς ἐκλάμπει; καὶ οὐχὶ ὅπως ἰσχυρός, ἀλλὰ καὶ παυόμενος διʼ ὀλίγου, καὶ ἄλλως τὰ πολλὰ ἀσινὴς καὶ ὅσον ἂν χρόνον παρῇ διάθερμος; καὶ διεξιὼν διὰ παντὸς τελευτᾷ ἐς τοὺς πόδας μάλιστα, οὗπερ τὸ ῥῖγος καὶ ἡ ψῦξις νεηνικωτάτη καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐνεχρόνισεν· πάλιν τε ὅταν ἱδρώσῃ τε καὶ ἀπαλλαγῇ ὁ πυρετός, πολὺ μᾶλλον διέψυξε ἢ εἰ μὴ ἔλαβε τὴν ἀρχήν. ᾧ οὖν διὰ τάχεος οὕτω παραγίνεται τὸ ἐναντιώτατόν τε καὶ ἀφαιρεόμενον τὴν δύναμιν ἀπὸ τωὐτομάτου, τί ἂν ἀπὸ τούτου μέγα ἢ δεινὸν γένοιτο; ἢ τί δεῖ πολλῆς ἐπὶ τούτῳ βοηθείης;

[¶2] 17. One might here say—but persons in ardent fevers, pneumonia, and other formidable diseases, do not quickly get rid of the heat, nor experience these rapid alterations of heat and cold. And I reckon this very circumstance the strongest proof that it is not from heat simply that men get into the febrile state, neither is it the sole cause of the mischief, but that this species of heat is bitter, and that acid, and the other saltish, and many other varieties; and again there is cold combined with other qualities. These are what proves injurious; heat, it is true, is present also, possessed of strength as being that which conducts, is exacerbated and increased along with the other, but has no power greater than what is peculiar to itself.

> Greek: 17. εἴποι ἄν τις· ἀλλʼ οἱ πυρεταίνοντες τοῖσι καύσοισί τε καὶ περιπνευμονίῃσι καὶ ἄλλοισι ἰσχυροῖσι νοσήμασι οὐ ταχέως ἐκ τῆς θέρμης ἀπαλλάσσονται, οὐδὲ πάρεστιν ἐνταῦθα ἔτι τὸ θερμὸν ἢ τὸ ψυχρόν. ἐγὼ δέ μοι τοῦτο μέγιστον τεκμήριον ἡγεῦμαι εἶναι, ὅτι οὐ διὰ τὸ θερμὸν ἁπλῶς πυρεταίνουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οὐδὲ τοῦτο εἴη τὸ αἴτιον τῆς κακώσιος μοῦνον, ἀλλʼ ἔστι καὶ πικρὸν καὶ θερμὸν τὸ αὐτό, καὶ ὀξὺ καὶ θερμόν, καὶ ἁλμυρὸν καὶ θερμόν, καὶ ἄλλα μυρία, καὶ πάλιν γε ψυχρὸν μετὰ δυναμίων ἑτέρων. τὰ μὲν οὖν λυμαινόμενα ταῦτʼ ἐστί· συμπάρεστι δὲ καὶ τὸ θερμόν, ῥώμης μὲν ἔχον ὅσον τὸ ἡγεύμενον καὶ παροξυνόμενον καὶ αὐξόμενον ἅμα ἐκείνῳ, δύναμιν δὲ οὐδεμίαν πλείω τῆς προσηκούσης.

[¶3] 18. With regard to these symptoms, in the first place those are most obvious of which we have all often had experience. Thus, then, in such of us as have a coryza and defluxion from the nostrils, this discharge is much more acrid than that which formerly was formed in and ran from them daily; and it occasions swelling of the nose, and it inflames, being of a hot and extremely ardent nature, as you may know, if you apply your hand to the place; and, if the disease remains long, the part becomes ulcerated although destitute of flesh and hard; and the heat in the nose ceases, not when the defluxion takes place and the inflammation is present, but when the running becomes thicker and less acrid, and more mixed with the former secretion, then it is that the heat ceases. But in all those cases in which this decidedly proceeds from cold alone, without the concourse of any other quality, there is a change from cold to hot, and from hot to cold, and these quickly supervene, and require no coction. But all the others being connected, as I have said, with acrimony and intemperance of humors, pass off in this way by being mixed and concocted.

> Greek: 18. δῆλα δὲ ταῦτα ὅτι ὧδε ἔχει ἐπὶ τῶνδε τῶν σημείων· πρῶτον μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ φανερώτερα, ὧν πάντες ἔμπειροι πολλάκις ἐσμέν τε καὶ ἐσόμεθα. τοῦτο μὲν γάρ, ὅσοισι ἂν ἡμέων κόρυζα ἐγγένηται καὶ ῥεῦμα κινηθῇ διὰ τῶν ῥινῶν, τοῦτο ὡς τὸ πολὺ δριμύτερον τοῦ πρότερον γινομένου τε καὶ ἰόντος ἐκ τῶν ῥινῶν καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέρην καὶ οἰδεῖν μὲν ποιεῖ τὴν ῥῖνα καὶ συγκαίει θερμήν τε καὶ διάπυρον ἐσχάτως, ἢν δὴ τὴν χεῖρα προς φέρῃς· κἢν πλείω χρόνον παρῇ, καὶ ἐξελκοῦται τὸ χωρίον ἄσαρκόν τε καὶ σκληρὸν ἐόν. παύεται δέ πως τὸ καῦμα ἐκ τῆς ῥινός, οὐχ ὅταν τὸ ῥεῦμα γίνηται καὶ ἡ φλεγμονὴ ᾖ, ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὰν παχύτερόν τε καὶ ἧσσον δριμὺ ῥέῃ, πέπον καὶ μεμιγμένον μᾶλλον τοῦ πρότερον γινομένου, τότε δὲ ἤδη καὶ τὸ καῦμα πέπαυται. ἀλλʼ οἷσι δὲ ὑπὸ ψύχεος φανερῶς αὐτοῦ μούνου γίνεται μηδενὸς ἄλλου συμπαραγενομένου, πᾶσι δὲ ἡ αὐτὴ ἀπαλλαγή, ἐκ μὲν τῆς ψύξιος διαθερμανθῆναι, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ καύματος διαψυχθῆναι, καὶ ταῦτα ταχέως παραγίνεται καὶ πέψιος οὐδεμιῆς προσδεῖται. τὰ δʼ ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσα διὰ χυμῶν δριμύτητας καὶ ἀκρησίας, φημὶ ἔγωγε γίνεσθαι τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἀποκαθίστασθαι πεφθέντα καὶ κρηθέντα.

[¶4] 19. But such defluxions as are determined to the eyes being possessed of strong and varied acrimonies, ulcerate the eyelids, and in some cases corrode the and parts below the eyes upon which they flow, and even occasion rupture and erosion of the tunic which surrounds the eyeball. But pain, heat, and extreme burning prevail until the defluxions are concocted and become thicker, and concretions form about the eyes, and the coction takes place from the fluids being mixed up, diluted, and digested together. And in defluxions upon the throat, from which are formed hoarseness, cynanche, crysipelas, and pneumonia, all these have at first saltish, watery, and acrid discharges, and with these the diseases gain strength. But when the discharges become thicker, more concocted, and are freed from all acrimony, then, indeed, the fevers pass away, and the other symptoms which annoyed the patient; for we must account those things the cause of each complaint, which, being present in a certain fashion, the complaint exists, but it ceases when they change to another combination. But those which originate from pure heat or cold, and do not participate in any other quality, will then cease when they undergo a change from cold to hot, and from hot to cold; and they change in the manner I have described before. Wherefore, all the other complaints to which man is subject arise from powers (qualities?). Thus, when there is an overflow of the bitter principle, which we call yellow bile, what anxiety, burning heat, and loss of strength prevail! but if relieved from it, either by being purged spontaneously, or by means of a medicine seasonably administered, the patient is decidedly relieved of the pains and heat; but while these things float on the stomach, unconcocted and undigested, no contrivance could make the pains and fever cease; and when there are acidities of an acrid and aeruginous character, what varieties of frenzy, gnawing pains in the bowels and chest, and inquietude, prevail! and these do not cease until the acidities be purged away, or are calmed down and mixed with other fluids. The coction, change, attenuation, and thickening into the form of humors, take place through many and various forms; therefore the crises and calculations of time are of great importance in such matters; but to all such changes hot and cold are but little exposed, for these are neither liable to putrefaction nor thickening. What then shall we say of the change? that it is a combination (crasis) of these humors having different powers toward one another. But the hot does not loose its heat when mixed with any other thing except the cold; nor again, the cold, except when mixed with the hot. But all other things connected with man become the more mild and better in proportion as they are mixed with the more things besides. But a man is in the best possible state when they are concocted and at rest, exhibiting no one peculiar quality; but I think I have said enough in explanation of them.

> Greek: 19. ὅσα τε αὖἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τρέπεται τῶν ῥευμάτων, ἰσχυρὰς καὶ παντοίας δριμύτητας ἔχοντα, ἑλκοῖ μὲν βλέφαρα, κατεσθίει δʼ ἐνίων γνάθους τε καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῖσι ὀφθαλμοῖσι, ἐφʼ ὅ τι ἂν ἐπιρρυῇ, ῥήγνυσι δὲ καὶ διεσθίει τὸν ἀμφὶ τὴν ὄψιν χιτῶνα. ὀδύναι δὲ καὶ καῦμα καὶ φλογμὸς ἔσχατος κατέχει μέχρι τινός, μέχρι ἂν τὰ ῥεύματα πεφθῇ καὶ γένηται παχύτερα καὶ λήμη ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ᾖ. τὸ δὲ πεφθῆναι γίνεται ἐκ τοῦ μιχθῆναι καὶ κρηθῆναι ἀλλήλοισι καὶ συνεψηθῆναι. τοῦτο δέ, ὅσα ἐς τὴν φάρυγγα, ἀφʼ ὧν βράγχοι γίνονται καὶ συνάγχαι, ἐρυσιπέλατά τε καὶ περιπνευμονίαι, πάντα ταῦτα τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἁλμυρά τε καὶ ὑγρὰ καὶ δριμέα ἀφίει, καὶ ἐν τοῖσι τοιούτοις ἔρρωται τὰ νοσήματα. ὅταν δὲ παχύτερα καὶ πεπαίτερα γένηται καὶ πάσης δριμύτητος ἀπηλλαγμένα, τότε ἤδη καὶ οἱ πυρετοὶ παύονται καὶ τἄλλα τὰ λυπέοντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. δεῖ δὲ δήπου ταῦτα αἴτια ἑκάστου ἡγεῖσθαι εἶναι, ὧν παρεόντων μὲν τοιου τότροπον γίνεσθαι ἀνάγκη, μεταβαλλόντων δὲ ἐς ἄλλην κρῆσιν παύεσθαι. ὁπόσα οὖν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς θέρμης εἰλικρινέος ἢ ψύξιος γίνεται καὶ μὴ μετέχει ἄλλης δυνάμιος μηδεμιῆς, οὕτω παύοιτο ἄν, ὅταν μεταβάλλῃ ἐκ τοῦ θερμοῦ ἐς τὸ ψυχρὸν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ψυχροῦ ἐς τὸ θερμόν. μεταβάλλει δὲ ὅνπερ προείρηταί μοι τρόπον. ἔτι τοίνυν τἄλλα ὅσα κακοπαθεῖ ὁ ἄνθρωπος πάντα ἀπὸ δυναμίων γίνεται. τοῦτο μὲν γάρ, ὅταν πικρότης τις ἀποχυθῇ, ἣν δὴ χολὴν ξανθὴν καλέομεν, οἷαι ἄσαι καὶ καύματα καὶ ἀδυναμίαι κατέχουσιν· ἀπαλλασσόμενοι δὲ τούτου, ἐνίοτε καὶ καθαιρόμενοι, ἢ αὐτόματοι ἢ ὑπὸ φαρμάκου, ἢν ἐν καιρῷ τι αὐτῶν γίνηται, φανερῶς καὶ τῶν πόνων καὶ τῆς θέρμης ἀπαλλάσσονται. ὅσον δʼ ἂν χρόνον ταῦτα μετέωρα ᾖ καὶ ἄπεπτα καὶ ἄκρητα, μηχανὴ οὐδεμία οὔτε τῶν πόνων παύεσθαι οὔτε τῶν πυρετῶν. καὶ ὅσοισι δὲ ὀξύτητες προσίστανται δριμεῖαί τε καὶ ἰώδεες, οἷαι λύσσαι καὶ δήξιες σπλάγχνων καὶ θώρηκος καὶ ἀπορίη· οὐ παύεταί τι τούτου πρό τερον, πρὶν ἢ ἀποκαθαρθῇ τε καὶ καταστορεσθῇ καὶ μιχθῇ τοῖσιν ἄλλοισιν· πέσσεσθαι δὲ καὶ μεταβάλλειν καὶ λεπτύνεσθαί τε καὶ παχύνεσθαι ἐς χυμῶν εἶδος διʼ ἄλλων εἰδέων καὶ παντοίων-διὸ καὶ κρίσιες καὶ ἀριθμοὶ τῶν χρόνων ἐν τοῖσι τοιούτοισι μέγα δύνανται — πάντων δὴ τούτων ἥκιστα προσήκει θερμῷ ἢ ψυχρῷ πάσχειν· οὔτε γὰρ ἂν τοῦτό γε σαπείη οὔτε παχυνθείη. †τί γὰρ αὐτὸ φήσωμεν εἶναι; κρήσιας αὐτῶν ἄλλην πρὸς ἄλληλα ἐχούσας δύναμιν.† ἐπεὶ ἄλλῳ γε οὐδενὶ τὸ θερμὸν μιχθὲν παύσεται τῆς θέρμης ἢ τῷ ψυχρῷ οὐδέ γε τὸ ψυχρὸν ἢ τῷ θερμῷ. τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα τὰ περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὅσῳ ἂν πλείοσι μίσγηται, τοσούτῳ ἠπιώτερα καὶ βελτίω. πάντων δὲ ἄριστα διάκειται ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὅταν πᾶνπέσσηται καὶ ἐν ἡσυχίῃ ᾖ, μηδεμίαν δύναμιν ἰδίην ἀποδεικνύμενον, περὶ οὗ ἡγεῦμαι ἐπιδεδεῖ χθαι.

[¶5] 20. Certain sophists and physicians say that it is not possible for any one to know medicine who does not know what man is [and how he was made and how constructed], and that whoever would cure men properly, must learn this in the first place. But this saying rather appertains to philosophy, as Empedocles and certain others have described what man in his origin is, and how he first was made and constructed. But I think whatever such has been said or written by sophist or physician concerning nature has less connection with the art of medicine than with the art of painting. And I think that one cannot know anything certain respecting nature from any other quarter than from medicine; and that this knowledge is to be attained when one comprehends the whole subject of medicine properly, but not until then; and I say that this history shows what man is, by what causes he was made, and other things accurately. Wherefore it appears to me necessary to every physician to be skilled in nature, and strive to know, if he would wish to perform his duties, what man is in relation to the articles of food and drink, and to his other occupations, and what are the effects of each of them to every one. And it is not enough to know simply that cheese is a bad article of food, as disagreeing with whoever eats of it to satiety, but what sort of disturbance it creates, and wherefore, and with what principle in man it disagrees; for there are many other articles of food and drink naturally bad which affect man in a different manner. Thus, to illustrate my meaning by an example, undiluted wine drunk in large quantity renders a man feeble; and everybody seeing this knows that such is the power of wine, and the cause thereof; and we know, moreover, on what parts of a man’s body it principally exerts its action; and I wish the same certainty to appear in other cases. For cheese (since we used it as an example) does not prove equally injurious to all men, for there are some who can take it to satiety without being hurt by it in the least, but, on the contrary, it is wonderful what strength it imparts to those it agrees with; but there are some who do not bear it well, their constitutions are different, and they differ in this respect, that what in their body is incompatible with cheese, is roused and put in commotion by such a thing; and those in whose bodies such a humor happens to prevail in greater quantity and intensity, are likely to suffer the more from it. But if the thing had been pernicious to of man, it would have hurt all. Whoever knows these things will not suffer from it.

> Greek: 20. λέγουσι δέ τινες ἰητροὶ καὶ σοφισταί, ὡς οὐκ εἴη δυνατὸν ἰητρικὴν εἰδέναι ὅστις μὴ οἶδεν ὅ τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο δεῖ καταμαθεῖν τὸν μέλλοντα ὀρθῶς θεραπεύσειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. τείνει δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ λόγος ἐς φιλοσοφίην, καθάπερ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς ἢ ἄλλοι οἳ περὶ φύσιος γεγράφασιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὅ τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ὅπως ἐγένετο πρῶτον καὶ ὁπόθεν συνεπάγη. ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦτο μέν, ὅσα τινὶ εἴρηται ἢ σοφιστῇ ἢ ἰητρῷ ἢ γέγραπται περὶ φύσιος, ἧσσον νομίζω τῇ ἰητρικῇ τέχνῃ προσήκειν ἢ τῇ γραφικῇ. νομίζω δὲ περὶ φύσιος γνῶναί τι σαφὲς οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν εἶναι ἢ ἐξ ἰητρικῆς· τοῦτο δὲ οἷόν τε καταμαθεῖν, ὅταν αὐτήν τις τὴν ἰητρικὴν ὀρθῶς περιλάβῃ· μέχρι δὲ τούτου πολλοῦ μοι δοκεῖ δεῖν· λέγω δὲ ταύτην τὴν ἱστορίην εἰδέναι, ἄνθρωπος τί ἐστιν καὶ διʼ οἵας αἰτίας γίνεται καὶ τἄλλα ἀκριβέως. ἐπεὶ τοῦτό γέ μοι δοκεῖ ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι ἰητρῷ περὶ φύσιος εἰδέναι καὶ πάνυ σπουδάσαι ὡς εἴσεται, εἴπερ τι μέλλει τῶν δεόντων ποιήσειν, ὅ τί τέ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος πρὸς τὰ ἐσθιόμενά τε καὶ πινόμενα καὶ ὅ τι πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα ἐπιτηδεύματα, καὶ ὅ τι ἀφʼ ἑκάστου ἑκάστῳ συμβήσεται, καὶ μὴ ἁπλῶς οὕτως· πονηρόν ἐστιν βρῶμα τυρός. πόνον γὰρ παρέχει τῷ πληρωθέντι αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τίνα τε πόνον καὶ διὰ τί καὶ τίνι τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐνεόντων ἀνεπιτήδειον. ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ βρώματα καὶ πόματα πονηρά, ἃ διατίθησι τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον. οὕτως οὖν μοι ἔστω οἷον· οἶνος ἄκρητος πολλὸς ποθεὶς διατίθησί πως τὸν ἄνθρωπον· καὶ πάντες ἂν οἱ εἰδότες τοῦτο γνοίησαν, ὅτι †αὕτη δύναμις οἴνου καὶ αὐτὸς αἴτιος·† καὶ οἷσί γε τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦτο δύναται μάλιστα, οἴδαμεν. τοιαύτην δὴ βούλομαι ἀληθείην καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων φανῆναι. τυρὸς γάρ, ἐπειδὴ τούτῳ σημείῳ ἐχρησάμην, οὐ πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὁμοίως λυμαίνεται, ἀλλʼ εἰσὶν οἵτινες αὐτοῦ πληρούμενοι οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν βλάπτονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰσχύν, οἷσιν ἂν συμφέρῃ, θαυμασίως παρέχεται. εἰσὶ δʼ οἳ χαλεπῶς ἀπαλλάσσουσι. διαφέρουσιν οὖν τούτων αἱ φύσιες. διαφέρουσιν δὲ κατὰ τοῦτο, ὅπερ ἐν τῷ σώματι ἔνεστι πολέμιον τυρῷ καὶ ὑπὸ τούτου ἐγείρεταί τε καὶ κινεῖται· οἷς ὁ τοιοῦτος χυμὸς τυγχάνει πλείων ἐνεὼν καὶ μᾶλλον ἐνδυναστεύων ἐν τῷ σώματι, τούτους μᾶλλον καὶ κακοπαθεῖν εἰκός. εἰ δὲ πάσῃ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει ἦν κακόν, πάντας ἂν ἐλυμήνατο. ταῦτα δὲ εἴ τις εἰδείη, οὐκ ἂν πάσχοι τάδε.

[¶6] 21. During convalescence from diseases, and also in protracted diseases, many disorders occur, some spontaneously, and some from certain things accidentally administered. I know that the common herd of physicians, like the vulgar, if there happen to have been any innovation made about that day, such as the bath being used, a walk taken, or any unusual food eaten, all which were better done than otherwise, attribute notwithstanding the cause of these disorders, to some of these things, being ignorant of the true cause but proscribing what may have been very proper. Now this ought not to be so; but one should know the effects of a bath or a walk unseasonably applied; for thus there will never be any mischief from these things, nor from any other thing, nor from repletion, nor from such and such an article of food. Whoever does not know what effect these things produce upon a man, cannot know the consequences which result from them, nor how to apply them.

> Greek: 21. ἐν τῇσιν ἀνακομιδῇσι τῇσιν ἐκ τῶν νούσων, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇσι νούσοισι τῇσι μακρῇσι γίνονται πολλαὶ συνταράξιες, αἱ μὲν ἀπὸ τωὐτομάτου, αἱ δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προσενεχθέντων τῶν τυχόντων. οἶδα δὲ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἰητρούς, ὥσπερ τοὺς ἰδιώτας, ἢν τύχωσι περὶ τὴν ἡμέρην ταύτην τι κεκαινουργηκότες, ἢ λουσάμενοι ἢ περιπατήσαντες ἢ φαγόντες τι ἑτεροῖον, ταῦτα δὲ πάντα βελτίω προσενηνεγμένα ἢ μή, οὐδὲν ἧσσον τὴν αἰτίην τούτων τινὶ ἀνατιθέντας καὶ τὸ μὲν αἴτιον ἀγνοεῦντας, τὸ δὲ συμφορώτατον, ἢν οὕτω τύχῃ, ἀφαιρέοντας. δεῖ δὲ οὔ, ἀλλʼ εἰδέναι, τί λουτρὸν ἀκαίρως προσγενόμενον ἐργάσεται ἢ τί κόπος. οὐδέποτε γὰρ ἡ αὐτὴ κακοπάθεια τούτων οὐδετέρου, οὐδέ γε ἀπὸ πληρώσιος οὐδʼ ἀπὸ βρώματος τοίου ἢ τοίου. ὅστις οὖν ταῦτα μὴ εἴσεται ὡς ἕκαστα ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὔτε γινώσκειν τὰ γινόμενα ἀπʼ αὐτῶν δυνήσεται οὔτε χρῆσθαι ὀρθῶς.

[¶7] 22. And it appears to me that one ought also to know what diseases arise in man from the powers, and what from the structures. What do I mean by this? By powers, I mean intense and strong juices; and by structures, whatever conformations there are in man. For some are hollow, and from broad contracted into narrow; some expanded, some hard and round, some broad and suspended, some stretched, some long, some dense, some rare and succulent, some spongy and of loose texture. Now, then, which of these figures is the best calculated to suck to itself and attract humidity from another body? Whether what is hollow and expanded, or what is solid and round, or what is hollow, and from broad, gradually turning narrow? I think such as from hollow and broad are contracted into narrow: this may be ascertained otherwise from obvious facts: thus, if you gape wide with the mouth you cannot draw in any liquid; but by protruding, contracting, and compressing the lips, and still more by using a tube, you can readily draw in whatever you wish. And thus, too, the instruments which are used for cupping are broad below and gradually become narrow, and are so constructed in order to suck and draw in from the fleshy parts. The nature and construction of the parts within a man are of a like nature; the bladder, the head, the uterus in woman; these parts clearly attract, and are always filled with a juice which is foreign to them. Those parts which are hollow and expanded are most likely to receive any humidity flowing into them, but cannot attract it in like manner. Those parts which are solid and round could not attract a humidity, nor receive it when it flows to them, for it would glide past, and find no place of rest on them. But spongy and rare parts, such as the spleen, the lungs, and the breasts, drink up especially the juices around them, and become hardened and enlarged by the accession of juices. Such things happen to these organs especially. For it is not with the spleen as with the stomach, in which there is a liquid, which it contains and evacuates every day; but when it (the spleen) drinks up and receives a fluid into itself, the hollow and lax parts of it are filled, even the small interstices; and, instead of being rare and soft, it becomes hard and dense, and it can neither digest nor discharge its contents: these things it suffers, owing to the nature of its structure. Those things which engender flatulence or tormina in the body, naturally do so in the hollow and broad parts of the body, such as the stomach and chest, where they produce rumbling noises; for when they do not fill the parts so as to be stationary, but have changes of place and movements, there must necessarily be noise and apparent movements from them. But such parts as are fleshy and soft, in these there occur torpor and obstructions, such as happen in apoplexy. But when it (the flatus?) encounters a broad and resisting structure, and rushes against such a part, and this happens when it is by nature not strong so as to be able to withstand it without suffering injury; nor soft and rare, so as to receive or yield to it, but tender, juicy, full of blood, and dense, like the liver, owing to its density and broadness, it resists and does not yield. But flatus, when it obtains admission, increases and becomes stronger, and rushes toward any resisting object; but owing to its tenderness, and the quantity of blood which it (the liver) contains, it cannot be without uneasiness; and for these reasons the most acute and frequent pains occur in the region of it, along with suppurations and chronic tumors (phymata). These symptoms also occur in the site of the diaphragm, but much less frequently; for the diaphragm is a broad, expanded, and resisting substance, of a nervous (tendinous?) and strong nature, and therefore less susceptible of pain; and yet pains and chronic abscesses do occur about it.

> Greek: 22. δεῖν δέ μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ταῦτα εἰδέναι, ὅσα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ παθήματα ἀπὸ δυναμίων γίνεται καὶ ὅσα ἀπὸ σχημάτων. λέγω δέ τι τοιοῦτον, δύναμιν μὲν εἶναι τῶν χυμῶν τὰς ἀκρότητάς τε καὶ ἰσχύν, σχήματα δὲ λέγω ὅσα ἔνεστιν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, τὰ μὲν κοῖλά τε καὶ ἐξ εὐρέος ἐς στενὸν συνηγμένα, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐκπεπταμένα, τὰ δὲ στερεά τε καὶ στρογγύλα, τὰ δὲ πλατέα τε καὶ ἐπικρεμάμενα, τὰ δὲ διατεταμένα, τὰ δὲ μακρά, τὰ δὲ πυκνά, τὰ δὲ μανά τε καὶ τεθηλότα, τὰ δὲ σπογγοειδέα τε καὶ ἀραιά. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν, ἑλκύσαι ἐφʼ ἑωυτὸ καὶ ἐπισπάσασθαι ὑγρότητα ἐκ τοῦ ἄλλου σώματος, πότερον τὰ κοῖλά τε καὶ ἐκπεπταμένα ἢ τὰ στερεά τε καὶ στρογγύλα ἢ τὰ κοῖλά τε καὶ ἐς στενὸν ἐξ εὐρέος συνηγμένα δύναιτο ἂν μάλιστα; οἶμαι μὲν τὰ τοιαῦτα, τὰ ἐς στενὸν συνηγμένα ἐκ κοίλου τε καὶ εὐρέος. καταμανθάνειν δὲ δεῖ ταῦτα ἔξωθεν ἐκ τῶν φανερῶν. τοῦτο μὲν γάρ, τῷ στόματι κεχηνὼς ὑγρὸν οὐδὲν ἀνασπάσεις· προμυλλήνας δὲ καὶ συστείλας, πιέσας τε τὰ χείλεα καὶ ἔπειτεν αὐλὸν προσθέμενος ῥηϊδίως ἀνασπάσαις ἂν ὅ τι ἐθέλοις. τοῦτο δέ, αἱ σικύαι προσβαλλόμεναι ἐξ εὐρέος ἐς στενώτερον συνηγμέναι πρὸς τοῦτο τετέχνηνται, πρὸς τὸ ἕλκειν ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ ἐπισπᾶσθαι, ἄλλα τε πολλὰ τοιουτότροπα. τῶν δὲ ἔσω φύσει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου σχῆμα τοιοῦτον κύστις τε καὶ κεφαλή, καὶ ὑστέρη γυναιξίν· καὶ φανερῶς ταῦτα μάλιστα ἕλκει καὶ πλήρεά ἐστιν ἐπάκτου ὑγρότητος αἰεί. τὰ δὲ κοῖλα καὶ ἐκπεπταμένα ἐπεσρυεῖσαν μὲν ὑγρότητα μάλιστα δέξαιτο πάντων, ἐπισπάσαιτο δʼ ἂν οὐχ ὁμοίως. τὰ δέ γε στερεὰ καὶ στρογγύλα οὔτʼ ἂν ἐπισπάσαιτο οὔτʼ ἂν ἐπες ρυεῖσαν δέξαιτο· περιολισθάνοι τε γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἔχοι ἕδρην, ἐφʼ ἧς μένοι. τὰ δὲ σπογγοειδέα τε καὶ ἀραιά, οἷον σπλήν τε καὶ πνεύμων καὶ μαζοί, προσκαθεζόμενα μάλιστα ἀναπίνοι καὶ σκληρυνθείη ἂν καὶ αὐξηθείη ὑγρότητος προσγενομένης ταῦτα μάλιστα. οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὥσπερ ἐν κοιλίῃ, ἐν ᾗ τὸ ὑγρόν, ἔξω τε περιέχει αὐτὴ ἡ κοιλίη, ἐξαλίζοιτʼ ἂν καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέρην, ἀλλʼ ὅταν πίῃ καὶ δέξηται αὐτὸ ἐς ἑωυτὸ τὸ ὑγρόν, τὰ κενὰ καὶ ἀραιὰ ἐπληρώθη καὶ τὰ σμικρὰ πάντῃ καὶ ἀντὶ μαλθακοῦ τε καὶ ἀραιοῦ σκληρός τε καὶ πυκνὸς ἐγένετο καὶ οὔτʼ ἐκπέσσει οὔτʼ ἀφίησι. ταῦτα δὲ πάσχει διὰ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ σχήματος. ὅσα δὲ φῦσάν τε καὶ ἀνειλήματα ἀπεργάζεται ἐν τῷ σώματι, προσήκει ἐν μὲν τοῖσι κοίλοισι καὶ εὐρυχώροισι, οἷον κοιλίῃ τε καὶ θώρηκι, ψόφον τε καὶ πάταγον ἐμποιεῖν. ὅτε γὰρ ἂν μὴ ἀποπληρώσῃ οὕτως ὥστε στῆναι, ἀλλʼ ἔχῃ μεταβολάς τε καὶ κινήσιας, ἀνάγκη ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ψόφον καὶ καταφανέας κινήσιας γίνεσθαι. ὅσα δὲ σαρκώδεά τε καὶ μαλθακά, ἐν τοῖσι τοιούτοισι νάρκη τε καὶ πληρώματα οἷα ἐν τοῖσι ἀποπληγεῖσι γίνεται. ὅταν δʼ ἐγκυρήσῃ πλατεῖ τε καὶ ἀντικειμένῳ, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ ἀντιπέσῃ, καὶ φύσει τοῦτο τύχῃ ἐὸν μήτε ἰσχυρόν, ὥστε δύνασθαι ἀνέχεσθαι τὴν βίην καὶ μηδὲν κακὸν παθεῖν, μήτε μαλθακόν τε καὶ ἀραιόν, ὥστʼ ἐκδέξασθαί τε καὶ ὑπεῖξαι, ἁπαλὸν δὲ καὶ τεθηλὸς καὶ ἔναιμον καὶ πυκνόν, οἷον ἧπαρ, διὰ μὲν τὴν πυκνότητα καὶ πλατύτητα ἀνθέστηκέ τε καὶ οὐχ ὑπείκει, φῦσα δʼ ἐπισχομένη αὔξεταί τε καὶ ἰσχυροτέρη γίνεται καὶ ὁρμᾷ μάλιστα πρὸς τὸ ἀντιπαῖον. διὰ δὲ τὴν ἁπαλότητα καὶ τὴν ἐναιμότητα οὐ δύναται ἄνευ πόνων εἶναι, καὶ διὰ ταύτας τὰς προφάσιας ὀδύναι τε ὀξύταται καὶ πυκνόταται πρὸς τοῦτο τὸ χωρίον γίνονται ἐμπυήματά τε καὶ φύματα πλεῖστα. γίνεται δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ φρένας ἰσχυρῶς, ἧσσον δὲ πολλόν. διάτασις μὲν γὰρ φρενῶν πλατείη καὶ ἀντικειμένη, φύσις δὲ νευρωδεστέρη τε καὶ ἰσχυροτέρη, διὸ ἧσσον ἐπώδυνά ἐστιν. γίνεται δὲ καὶ περὶ ταῦτα καὶ πόνοι καὶ φύματα.

[¶8] 23. There are both within and without the body many other kinds of structure, which differ much from one another as to sufferings both in health and disease; such as whether the head be small or large; the neck slender or thick, long or short; the belly long or round; the chest and ribs broad or narrow; and many others besides, all which you ought to be acquainted with, and their differences; so that knowing the causes of each, you may make the more accurate observations.

> Greek: 23. πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα καὶ ἔσω καὶ ἔξω τοῦ σώματος εἴδεα σχημάτων, ἃ μεγάλα ἀλλήλων διαφέρει πρὸς τὰ παθήματα καὶ νοσέοντι καὶ ὑγιαίνοντι, οἷον κεφαλαὶ σμικραὶ ἢ μεγάλαι, τράχηλοι λεπτοὶ ἢ παχέες, μακροὶ ἢ βραχέες, κοιλίαι μακραὶ ἢ στρογγύλαι, θώρηκος καὶ πλευρέων πλατύτητες ἢ στενότητες, ἄλλα μυρία, ἃ δεῖ πάντα εἰδέναι ᾗ διαφέρει, ὅπως τὰ αἴτια ἑκάστων εἰδὼς ὀρθῶς φυλάσσηται·

[¶9] 24. And, as has been formerly stated, one ought to be acquainted with the powers of juices, and what action each of them has upon man, and their alliances towards one another. What I say is this: if a sweet juice change to another kind, not from any admixture, but because it has undergone a mutation within itself; what does it first become?—bitter? salt? austere? or acid? I think acid. And hence, an acid juice is the most improper of all things that can be administered in cases in which a sweet juice is the most proper. Thus, if one should succeed in his investigations of external things, he would be the better able always to select the best; for that is best which is farthest removed from that which is unwholesome.

> Greek: 24. περὶ δὲ δυναμίων χυμῶν αὐτῶν τε ἕκαστος ὅ τι δύναται ποιεῖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐσκέφθαι, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον εἴρηται, καὶ τὴν συγγένειαν ὡς ἔχουσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους. λέγω δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον· εἰ γλυκὺς χυμὸς ἐὼν μεταβάλλοι ἐς ἄλλο εἶδος, μὴ ἀπὸ συγκρήσιος, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸς ἐξιστάμενος, ποῖός τις ἂν πρῶτος γένοιτο, πικρὸς ἢ ἁλμυρὸς ἢ στρυφνὸς ἢ ὀξύς; οἶμαι μέν, ὀξύς. ὁ ἄρα ὀξὺς χυμὸς ἀνεπιτήδειος προσφέρειν ἂν τῶν λοιπῶν εἴη μάλιστα, εἴπερ ὁ γλυκὺς τῶν γεπάντων ἀνεπιτηδείοτατος. οὕτως εἴ τις δύναιτο ζητέων ἔξωθεν ἐπιτυγχάνειν, καὶ δύναιτο ἂν πάντων ἐκλέγεσθαι αἰεὶ τὸ βέλτιστον. βέλτιστον δέ ἐστι αἰεὶ τὸ προσωτάτω τοῦ ἀνεπιτηδείου ἀπέχον.