《on ancient medicine》

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on ancient medicine- 第3部分


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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。
  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。
  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。
  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
straightway 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?
  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 the
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