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Herodotus · Histories §1.197.1

Babylonian Treatment of the Sick in the Marketplace

Passage 197 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes the second wisest Babylonian custom concerning the sick, where they place patients in the marketplace without physicians so that passersby can offer medical advice based on their own experiences.

§1.197.1δεύτερος δὲ σοφίῃ ὅδε ἄλλος σφι νόμος κατέστηκε· τοὺς κάμνοντας ἐς τὴν ἀγορὴν ἐκφορέουσι· οὐ γὰρ δὴ χρέωνται ἰητροῖσι.
And this other law is established for them, second in wisdom: they carry out the sick into the marketplace; for indeed they do not use physicians.
προσιόντες ὦν πρὸς τὸν κάμνοντα συμβουλεύουσι περὶ τῆς νούσου, εἴ τις καὶ αὐτὸς τοιοῦτο ἔπαθε ὁκοῖον ἂν ἔχῃ ὁ κάμνων ἢ ἄλλον εἶδε παθόντα, ταῦτα προσιόντες συμβουλεύουσι καὶ παραινέουσι ἅσσα αὐτὸς ποιήσας ἐξέφυγε ὁμοίην νοῦσον ἢ ἄλλον εἶδε ἐκφυγόντα.
So, approaching the sick person, they advise him about his illness, if anyone has himself also suffered such a thing as the sick person has, or has seen another suffer it; approaching him they advise these things and recommend whatever he himself did and escaped a similar illness, or saw another escape.
σιγῇ δὲ παρεξελθεῖν τὸν κάμνοντα οὔ σφι ἔξεστι, πρὶν ἂν ἐπείρηται ἥντινα νοῦσον ἔχει.
And it is not permitted for them to pass by the sick person in silence, until one has asked what illness he has.

Notes

  1. 1.197.1σοφίῃ — A dative of respect (or limitation) meaning "in wisdom." It modifies the adjective δεύτερος ("second"), specifying in what respect this law is second.
  2. 1.197.1ἅσσα — The Ionic form of the neuter plural relative pronoun ἅτινα (from ὅστις). Here it functions as the object of the participle ποιήσας, while the entire clause serves as the direct object of παραινέουσι ("they recommend").
  3. 1.197.1παρεξελθεῖν — An infinitive serving as the subject of the impersonal verb ἔξεστι ("it is permitted"). The accusative τὸν κάμνοντα ("the sick person") is the direct object of this infinitive.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.197.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.197.1

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