§3Ἡ δὲ διὰ τοῦ λόγου φύσιν ἐκμαθεῖν παρακελεύεται, τοῦ τε σώματος, οὗ ἐπιχειρεῖ ἰᾶσθαι, καὶ τῶν αἰτίων ἁπάντων τὰς δυνάμεις, οἷς ὁσημέραι περιπίπτον τὸ σῶμα ἢ ὑγιεινότερον ἢ νοσερώτερον αὐτὸ ἑαυτοῦ γίγνεται.
The method of reason, on the other hand, recommends learning thoroughly the nature of the body, which one attempts to heal, and the powers of all the causes which the body, encountering daily, becomes either healthier or sicklier than itself.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἤδη καὶ ἀέρων φύσιν, καὶ ὑδάτων, καὶ χωρίων, καὶ ἐπιτηδευμάτων, καὶ ἐδεσμάτων, καὶ πομάτων, καὶ ἐθῶν ἐπιστήμονά φασι δεῖν εἶναι τὸν ἰατρὸν, ὅπως τῶν τε νοσημάτων ἁπάντων τὰς αἰτίας εὑρίσκῃ, καὶ τῶν ἰαμάτων τὰς δυνάμεις, καὶ παραβάλλειν οἷός τε ᾖ καὶ λογίζεσθαι, ὅτι τῷ τοιῷδε τῆς αἰτίας εἴδει τὸ τοιάνδε δύναμιν ἔχον προσαχθὲν φάρμακον τοῖόν τι ἐργάσασθαι πέφυκε.
After these things, they say that the physician must already be knowledgeable about the nature of airs, waters, places, occupations, foods, drinks, and customs, so that he may discover the causes of all diseases and the powers of remedies, and be able to compare and reason that a medicine having such a power, applied to such a kind of cause, is by nature fit to produce such an effect.
πρὶν γὰρ ἐν τούτοις γυμνάσασθαι πολυειδῶς ἅπασιν, οὐχ οἶόν τέ φασιν, ἰαμάτων εὐπορήσειν αὐτόν.
For before being trained in all these things in manifold ways, they say it is not possible for him to have an abundance of remedies.
οἷον, ἵνα ἐκ μικροῦ παραδείγματος ἴδῃς τὸ πᾶν, ἔστω τι μέρος τοῦ σώματος ὀδυνώμενόν τε καὶ σκληρὸν, καὶ ἀντίτυπον, καὶ ἐν ὄγκῳ μείζονι· ἐνταῦθα χρὴ τὸν ἰατρὸν ἐξευρεῖν τὴν αἰτίαν.
For instance, so that you may see the whole from a small example, let some part of the body be painful, hard, resistant, and in a larger swelling; here the physician must find out the cause.
πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι ῥυὲν ὑγρόν τι πλέον τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν εἰς τὸ μέρος, ἐξῇρέ τε αὐτὸ, καὶ διατεῖνον, εἰς ὀδύνην ἤγαγεν.
First, that some fluid, flowing in greater quantity than is natural into that part, both raised it up and, distending it, led to pain.
ἐφεξῆς δὲ, εἰ μὲν ἔτι ἐπιῤῥέοι, εἴργειν τοῦ ἐπιῤῥεῖν. εἰ δὲ μὴ, τοῦτο κενοῦν ἤδη τὸ μέρος.
Next, if it should still be flowing in, to prevent it from flowing in; but if not, to empty this part now.
πῶς οὖν τὸ μὲν ἐπιῤῥέον ἔτι κωλύσεις, τὸ δ’ ἤδη περιεχόμενον κενώσεις;
How then will you prevent that which is still flowing in, and empty that which is already contained?
ψύχων μὲν καὶ στύφων σὺ τὸ μέρος, κωλύσεις τὸ ἐπιῤῥέον. ὑγραίνων δὲ καὶ χαλῶν, κενώσεις τὸ ἠθροισμένον.
By cooling and astringing the part, you will prevent that which is flowing in; and by moistening and relaxing, you will empty that which is accumulated.
οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐπ’ αὐτῆς τῆς διαθέσεως ἡ ἔνδειξις αὐτοῖς τοῦ συμφέροντος γίνεται.
In this way, then, from the state itself, the indication of what is beneficial arises for them.
οὐ μὴν ἀρκεῖν ταύτην γε μόνην φασὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ νοσοῦντος ἑτέραν ἔνδειξιν εἶναι, καὶ παρὰ τῆς ἡλικίας ἄλλην, καὶ παρὰ τῆς ἰδίας αὐτοῦ τοῦ κάμνοντος φύσεως ἄλλην.
They say, however, that this alone is not sufficient, but that there is another indication from the strength of the patient, another from age, and another from the peculiar nature of the sick person himself.
οὕτω δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῆς ὥρας τοῦ ἔτους, καὶ τοῦ χωρίου τῆς φύσεως, καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, καὶ τῶν ἐθῶν, ἔνδειξιν ἀφ’ ἑκάστου τούτων γίγνεσθαι τοῦ συμφέροντος ἰδίαν.
And likewise, from the season of the year, the nature of the place, occupations, and customs, a peculiar indication of what is beneficial arises from each of these.
οἷον, ἴνα καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ἐπὶ παραδείγματος ἐκμάθῃς, ἔστω τινὰ πυρέττειν ὀξέως, ὀκνοῦντά τε κινεῖσθαι καὶ βαρέως τοῦ σώματος αἰσθανόμενον.
For instance, so that you may learn this more clearly from an example, let someone have an acute fever, hesitating to move and feeling a heaviness of the body.
ἔστω δὲ καὶ εὐογκότερος νῦν ἢ πρόσθεν, καὶ ἔρευθος πλέον ἐχέτω, ἔστωσαν δ’ αὐτῷ καὶ φλέβες ἐν ὄγκῳ μείζονι.
Let him also be fuller in body now than before, and let him have more redness, and let his veins be in a larger swelling.
παντί που δῆλον, ὡς τῷ τοιούτῳ πλῆθος αἵματος θερμοτέρου πλεονάζει.
It is clear to everyone, I suppose, that in such a person an abundance of hotter blood is excessive.
τίς οὖν ἡ ἴασις;
What then is the cure?
ἢ δῆλον ὅτι ἡ κένωσις;
Is it not clearly emptying?
ἐναντίον γὰρ τοῦτο τῷ πλήθει.
For this is contrary to abundance.
τὰ δὲ ἐναντία τῶν ἐναντίων ἐστὶν ἰάματα.
And contraries are the remedies of contraries.
πῶς οὖν αὐτὸ κενώσομεν, ἢ μέχρι πόσου;
How then shall we empty it, or up to how much?
τοῦτο οὐκέτι δυνατὸν ἀπὸ τῆς αἰτίας μόνης εἰδέναι.
This is no longer possible to know from the cause alone.
χρὴ γὰρ καὶ δύναμιν, καὶ ἡλικίαν, καὶ ὥραν, καὶ χώραν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ μικρῷ πρόσθεν εἰρημένα προσεπισκοπεῖν.
For one must also observe in addition the strength, age, season, country, and the other things mentioned a little before.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἰσχυρότερος εἴη τὴν δύναμιν. καὶ ἀκμάζων τὴν ἡλικίαν, καὶ ἡ ὥρα τοῦ ἔτους ἐαρινὴ, καὶ τὸ χωρίον εὔκρατον, οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις, εἰ φλέβα τεμὼν κενώσεις τοῦ αἵματος, ὅσον ἡ αἰτία κελεύει.
For if he should be stronger in strength, and at the peak of his age, and the season of the year is spring, and the place is temperate, you would not err if, cutting a vein, you empty as much of the blood as the cause bids.
ἀῤῥώστου δὲ τῆς δυνάμεως οὔσης, καὶ τῆς ἡλικίας, ἢ παιδὸς κομιδῇ μικροῦ, ἢ πρεσβύτου πάνυ, καὶ τοῦ χωρίου κατεψυγμένου, οἶα τὰ περὶ τὴν Σκυθίαν, ἢ διακεκαυμένου, οἷα τὰ περὶ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν, καὶ τῆς ὥρας τοῦ ἔτους ἢ σφόδρα ψυχρᾶς, ἢ σφόδρα θερμῆς, οὐκ ἄν τις ἔτι τολμήσειε φλεβοτομεῖν.
But if the strength is weak, and the age is either of a very small child or a very old man, and the country is freezing, such as the regions around Scythia, or parched, such as the regions around Ethiopia, and the season of the year is either extremely cold or extremely hot, no one would dare to cut a vein anymore.
οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἔθη, καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα, καὶ φύσεις σωμάτων ἐπισκοπεῖσθαι κελεύουσι.
And likewise they bid to observe customs, occupations, and the natures of bodies.
γίνεσθαι γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐξ ἁπάντων αὐτῶν ἔνδειξιν τοῦ συμφέροντος ἰδίαν.
For they say that from all of these, a peculiar indication of what is beneficial arises for them.