Definition of Syncope and Thermal Causes — Theophrastus, On Loss of Consciousness 1–7, Greek & English

§1

Ὅτι ἡ λειποψυχία¹ στέρησις ἢ κατάψυξις τοῦ θερμοῦ περὶ τὸν ἀναπνευστικὸν τόπον· τοῦτο δὲ συμβαίνει ἢ ὑπὸ τοῦ ψυχροῦ ἢ καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θερμοῦ τὸ γὰρ πλέον πῦρ ἀναιρεῖ τὸ ἔλαττον· μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ πεῖρα· ὑπὸ γὰρ πνίγους ἢ ἄλλης θέρμης καὶ μάλιστα πολλῆς, ἀθρόον τούτων προσπεσόντων ἡμῖν ἐκλυόμεθα καὶ λειποθυμοῦμεν· καταμαραίνεται γὰρ τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν θερμὸν κατάψυξιν οὐ λαμβάνον.

That fainting is a deprivation or cooling of the heat around the respiratory region; and this happens either by the cold or even by the heat itself; for the greater fire destroys the lesser. And experience also bears witness; for under stifling heat or other warmth, especially when abundant, when these fall upon us all at once, we are enervated and faint; for the heat within us is extinguished, receiving no cooling.

§2

Τάχα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀναπνοὴν ὅλως τὸ πνῖγος κωλύει, ὅθεν καὶ πνῖγος ὠνομάσθη· πνίγεται γὰρ ἢ καὶ πνιγομένῳ ὅμοιός ἐστιν ὁ μὴ δυνάμενος ἀναπνεῖν. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ διὰ τῶν λουτρῶν καὶ πυριάσεων ἔκλυσις· δῆλον γὰρ ὡς αἱ τοιαῦται ἐκλύσεις τῷ θερμῷ καὶ διὰ τὸ θερμὸν γίνονται μαραίνοντος τοῦ ἔξωθεν θερμοῦ τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν σύμφυτον.²

Perhaps also the stifling heat completely hinders respiration, whence also it was named ‘pnigos’; for he who is unable to breathe either is suffocated or is like one being suffocated. And the exhaustion caused by baths and steam-baths also bears witness; for it is clear that such exhaustions occur by means of heat and because of heat, since the external heat extinguishes our innate heat.

§3

Γίνεται δὲ λειποψυχία καὶ τῶν ἐν οἷς πέφυκεν ἡ θερμότης ἐκλιπόντων³ οἷον αἵματος ἢ τῆς φυσικῆς ἁπλῶς ὑγρότητος, ὥσπερ ἐν ταῖς αἱμορραγίαις καὶ ἐν ταῖς τῆς γαστρὸς φοραῖς ὁρῶμεν λειποψυχοῦντας. Καὶ διὰ πόνους δὲ γίνονται ἐκλύσεις.

And fainting also occurs when those things in which heat naturally resides fail, such as blood or simply the natural moisture, just as we see people fainting in hemorrhages and in evacuations of the bowels. And exhaustions also occur because of pains.

§4

Ὅτι τὸ πλέον θερμὸν λειποψυχίαν ποιεῖ καὶ ὡς μαραῖνον τὸ ἔλαττον καὶ ὡς κωλύον τὴν ἀναπνοὴν καὶ ἔτι ὡς μὴ παραχωροῦν⁴ τῇ καταψύξει εἴσοδον. Ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ λουόμενοι μὲν οὐ λειποψυχοῦσι παυσάμενοι δὲ μᾶλλον, διότι τὴν ὑγρότητα τὴν γινομένην ἀπὸ τῆς συντήξεως λουομένων μὲν θερμὴν εἶναι συμβαίνει, λουσαμένων δὲ ψύχεσθαι· ψυχρὰ δὲ οὖσα καὶ ἐμπίπτουσα κυρίοις τόποις ποιεῖ λειποψυχίαν.

That the greater heat causes fainting both as extinguishing the lesser, and as hindering respiration, and further as not allowing an entrance for cooling. That for this reason, for the most part, people do not faint while bathing, but rather after they have stopped; because the moisture arising from colliquation happens to be hot while they are bathing, but cools down when they have finished; and being cold and falling upon vital regions, it causes fainting.

§5

Εἰ μὴ ἄρα καὶ ἡ ἄνεσις αὐτὴ τοῦ πνεύματος προεκλύει· διότι καὶ κατέχειν κελεύουσιν ἐν ταῖς λειποψυχίαις τὸ πνεῦμα· κωλύει γὰρ ὁ κατέχων ἐξιέναι τὸ θερμὸν, ὁ δʼ ἀνιεὶς ἐνδίδωσιν.

Unless, indeed, the very relaxation of the breath predisposes to exhaustion; for they also bid people to hold their breath during faintings; for he who holds it prevents the heat from escaping, while he who relaxes lets it go.

§6

Ὅτι ὁ ῥαίνων ὕδατι τοὺς λειποψυχοῦντας συμφράττων καὶ πυκνῶν τοὺς πόρους καὶ συναθροίζων ἐντὸς τὸ θερμὸν, — ἀντιπερίσταται γὰρ, — ὠφελεῖ.

That he who sprinkles water on those who faint helps them by closing and condensing the pores and gathering the heat inside—for antiperistasis occurs.

§7

Ὅτι ἡδοναὶ καὶ λύπαι ποιοῦσι λειποψυχίαν· καὶ γὰρ ἀμφότεραι πλῆθος ὑγρότητος ἐπάγουσιν, ἡ μὲν ἡδονὴ τῷ συντήκειν και διαχεῖν, ἡ λύπη δὲ τῷ πηγνύειν· ὅταν οὖν ἡ ὑγρόχεῖν.⁵

That pleasures and pains cause fainting; for both induce a quantity of moisture, pleasure by melting and diffusing, and pain by congealing. When, therefore, the moisture...

Syntax notes5 items

1Ὅτι ἡ λειποψυχία
The introductory Ὅτι is a declarative or summarizing conjunction typical of academic excerpts like Aristotle's 'Problemata', indicating 'Concerning the fact that...' or 'That...'. The main verb is omitted, often followed by a nominal or infinitive clause.
2μαραίνοντος τοῦ ἔξωθεν θερμοῦ τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν σύμφυτον
A genitive absolute construction. The logical subject is 'toῦ ἔxōthen thermoῦ' (the external heat), and 'tò en hēmῖn sýmphyton' is the direct object of the transitive participle 'maraínontos'. The noun 'thermon' (heat) is omitted after 'sýmphyton' as understood from the context.
3τῶν ἐν οἷς πέφυκεν ἡ θερμότης ἐκλιπόντων
A genitive absolute construction where 'tōn ... ekliypóntōn' forms the framework, inside of which the relative clause 'en hoῖs péphyken hē thermótēs' (in which heat naturally resides) is embedded. The antecedent of the relative pronoun 'hoῖs' is the demonstrative pronoun 'tōn [ekeinōn]' which is omitted before the clause.
4καὶ ὡς μαραῖνον τὸ ἔλαττον καὶ ὡς κωλύον τὴν ἀναπνοὴν καὶ ἔτι ὡς μὴ παραχωροῦν
Three participial clauses with the conjunction 'hōs' (maraῖnon, kōlýon, parachōroῦn) are placed in parallel, explaining the grounds or reasons ('on the ground that...'). Together they coordinate three aspects of the mechanism by which heat causes fainting.
7ὅταν οὖν η ὑγρόχεῖν
A significant textual corruption or lacuna in the manuscript tradition. The 'ē' is likely the feminine definite article 'hē', and 'hygrócheῖn' is probably a corruption of 'hygrótēs' combined with a verb like 'chéētai' or 'ekchythῇ'. The translation leaves the clause incomplete to reflect this state.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (3, latest 2026-09-22)

2026-09-22 AI review — source 1
2026-09-21 AI review — source 2

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x07.humanitext-grc1:1-7