§6Οἱ δὲ μεθοδικοὶ καλούμενοι, οὕτω γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ὠνόμασαν, ὥσπερ οὐχὶ καὶ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν δογματικῶν μεθόδῳ τὴν τέχνην μεταχειρίζεσθαι φασκόντων, οὐ μέχρι λόγου μοι δοκοῦσιν ἀμφισβητεῖν ταῖς παλαιαῖς αἱρέσεσιν, ἀλλ’ ἤδη καὶ τῶν ἔργων τῆς τέχνης πολλὰ μετακοσμεῖν·
The so-called Methodists — for so they named themselves, as if the earlier Dogmatists had not also claimed to practice their art with a method — seem to me to dispute with the old sects not only in words, but also to reform many of the active works of the art.
οἵ γε οὔτε τόπον πεπονθότα χρήσιμον οὐδὲν ἔχειν φασὶν εἰς θεραπείας ἔνδειξιν, οὔτε αἴτιον, οὔτε ἡλικίαν, οὔτε ὥραν, οὔτε χώραν, οὔτε τοῦ νοσοῦντος τῆς δυνάμεως τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν, ἢ τῆς φύσεως, ἢ τῆς ἕξεως αὐτοῦ.
Indeed, they say that neither the affected part has any usefulness for the indication of treatment, nor the cause, nor the age, nor the season, nor the country, nor the examination of the patient's strength, or nature, or habit.
παραιτοῦνται δὲ καὶ τὰς ὥρας, καὶ τὰς χώρας, καὶ τὰ ἔθη, παρὰ μόνων τῶν παθῶν τὴν ἔνδειξιν τοῦ συμφέροντος ἀρκεῖν αὐτοῖς φάσκοντες.
They also reject seasons, countries, and customs, claiming that the indication of what is beneficial from the diseases alone is sufficient for them.
οὐδὲ παρὰ τούτων κατ’ εἶδος, ἀλλὰ κοινῇ καὶ καθόλου τιθέμενοι, καὶ δὴ καὶ καλοῦσι κοινότητας, αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα τὰ διὰ πάντων διήκοντα τῶν ἐν μέρει.
Nor do they take this from them according to species, but as something common and general, and indeed they call them "commonalities", namely these very things that extend through all the individual cases.
καὶ πειρῶνται τῶν γε οἱ μὲν κατὰ δίαιταν νοσημάτων ἁπάντων, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ πάντων ἁπλῶς δύο κοινότητας ἐπιδεικνύναι, καί τινα τρίτην μικτήν.
And some of them try to demonstrate two commonalities for all diseases treated by regimen, and some for all diseases simply, and a certain third mixed one.
ὀνόματα δὲ αὐταῖς στέγνωσιν καὶ ῥύσιν ἔθεντο, καὶ πᾶν νόσημά φασιν ἢ στεγνὸν ἢ ῥοῶδες εἶναι, ἢ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἐπιπεπλεγμένον.
They gave them the names "constricting" and "fluent", and they say that every disease is either constricted or fluent, or combined of both.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ αἱ φυσικαὶ κενώσεις τῶν σωμάτων ἴσχοιντο, στέγνωσιν καλοῦσιν· εἰ δέ τι μᾶλλον φέροιντο, ῥοῶδες· ἡνίκα δὲ καὶ ἴσχοιντο, καὶ φέροιντο, τὴν ἐπιπλοκὴν ἐν τούτῳ συνίστασθαι, καθάπερ ἐπ’ ὀφθαλμοῦ φλεγμαίνοντός τε ἅμα καὶ ῥευματιζομένου.
For if the natural evacuations of the body are withheld, they call it "constriction"; but if they flow more, "fluent"; and when they are both withheld and flowing, the combination consists in this, as in the case of an eye that is at once inflamed and running.
τὴν γὰρ φλεγμονὴν στεγνὸν οὖσαν πάθος, ὅτι μὴ μόνη ἦν, ἀλλὰ σὺν τῷ ῥεύματι, περὶ ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον ἐγένετο τὸ σύμπαν ποιεῖν πάθος ἐπιπεπλεγμένον.
For the inflammation, being a constricting affection, because it was not alone but with the flux, occurring around one and the same part, made the whole affection a combined one.
ἔνδειξιν δὲ τοῦ συμφέροντος ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν στεγνῶν τὴν χάλασιν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ῥοωδῶν τὴν στάλσιν ὑπάρχειν.
And they say that the indication of what is beneficial is "relaxation" for the constricting ones, and "constriction" (staunchness) for the fluent ones.
γόνατος μὲν γὰρ, εἰ τύχοι, φλεγμήναντος, χαλᾷν φασι χρῆναι· ῥέουσαν δὲ τὴν κοιλίαν, ἢ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν, ἐπέχειν τε καὶ στέλλειν· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐπιπεπλεγμένοις πρὸς τὸ κατεπεῖγον ἵστασθαι.
For if a knee, for example, is inflamed, they say it must be relaxed; but if the belly or the eye is flowing, it must be held back and constricted; and in combined cases, one must stand against the more urgent.
τῷ γὰρ μᾶλλον διοχλοῦντι, καὶ τὸν κίνδυνον ἐπιφέροντι, τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν, ὡς τῷ ἰσχυροτέρῳ ἐναντιοῦσθαί φασι δεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ θατέρῳ.
For they say one must oppose the more troublesome and danger-bringing, that is, as it were, the stronger, rather than the other.
τί οὖν δὴ οὐχὶ δογματικοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ἐκάλεσαν, ἐνδείξει τὰ βοηθήματα ποριζόμενοι;
Why then did they not call themselves Dogmatists, since they procure remedies by indication?
διότι, φασὶν, οἱ δογματικοὶ τὸ ἄδηλον ἐρευνῶσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις διατρίβομεν.
Because, they say, the Dogmatists search for the non-evident, whereas we dwell in appearances.
ἀμέλει καὶ ὅλην τὴν αἵρεσιν ἑαυτῶν οὕτως ὁρίζονται γνῶσιν φαινομένων κοινοτήτων.
Naturally, they define their whole sect in this way: "knowledge of apparent commonalities".
καὶ ἵνα μὴ κοινὸς ὁ ὅρος εἶναι δοκῇ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἁπάσαις τέχναις, καὶ γὰρ κᾀκείνας γνώσεις εἶναι νομίζουσι φαινομένων κοινοτήτων, διὰ τοῦτο προστιθέασιν, ἀκολούθων τῷ τῆς ἰατρικῆς τέλει.
And so that the definition may not seem to be common to all other arts — for they believe that those too are knowledges of apparent commonalities — for this reason they add, "consequent on the end of medicine".
τινὲς δὲ αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἀκολούθων, ἀλλὰ συμφώνων προσέθεσαν, οἱ πλεῖστοι δ’ ἄμφω συντιθέντες, γνῶσιν εἶναί φασι τὴν μέθοδον φαινομένων κοινοτήτων συμφώνων τε καὶ ἀκολούθων τῷ τῆς ἰατρικῆς τέλει.
But some of them added, not "consequent", but "consonant", and most, putting both together, say that the method is "knowledge of apparent commonalities consonant with and consequent on the end of medicine".
τινὲς δὲ, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Θεσσαλὸς, προσεχῶν τε καὶ ἀναγκαίων πρὸς ὑγείαν.
And some, like Thessalus, add "immediate and necessary for health".
διὰ ταῦτα δὴ καὶ ἀξιοῦσι, μήτε δογματικοὶ καλεῖσθαι, μὴ γὰρ δεῖσθαι τοῦ ἀδήλου, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι, μήτε ἐμπειρικοὶ, κᾂν ὅτι μάλιστα περὶ τὸ φαινόμενον διατρίβωσιν, τῇ γὰρ ἐνδείξει κεχωρίσθαι αὐτῶν.
For these reasons they indeed claim neither to be called Dogmatists, for they do not need the non-evident as those do, nor Empiricists, even if they dwell especially on what is apparent, for they are separated from them by indication.
οὐ μὴν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς περὶ τὸ φαινόμενον διατριβῆς ὁμολογεῖν ἑαυτούς φασι τοῖς ἐμπειρικοῖς.
Yet they do not say that they agree with the Empiricists in the very manner of dwelling on what is apparent.
ἐκείνους μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἀγνώστων ἀποχωρῆσαι τῶν ἀδήλων, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ ὡς ἀχρήστων· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐμπειρικοὺς τήρησιν ἐπὶ τοῖς φαινομένοις, αὑτοὺς δὲ ἔνδειξιν ἔχειν.
For they say that those departed from the non-evident as "unknown", but they themselves as "useless"; and that the Empiricists have observation of appearances, but they themselves have indication.
ἔν τε οὖν τούτοις διαφέρειν ἑαυτῶν ἑκατέρους φασὶ, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν οἷς ὥρας, καὶ ἡλικίας, καὶ χώρας, καὶ τοιαῦτα σύμπαντα περικόπτουσιν, ἄχρηστα μὲν ὄντα φανερῶς, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι νομίζουσι, δόξης δὲ χάριν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἰατροῖς τετιμημένα.
Thus they say they differ from both of them in these things, and especially in those in which they cut away seasons, ages, countries, and all such things, which are clearly useless, as they believe, though honored by earlier doctors for the sake of reputation.
καὶ τοῦτ’ εἶναι τὸ μέγιστον ἀγαθὸν τῆς μεθοδικῆς αἱρέσεώς φασι καὶ σεμνοῦσθαι γε δι’ αὐτὸ καὶ θαυμάζεσθαι δικαιοῦσι.
And they say that this is the greatest good of the Methodist sect, and they deem it right to boast of it and be admired for it.
καὶ τῷ γε βραχὺν εἶναι εἰπόντι τὸν βίον, τὴν δὲ τέχνην μακρὰν, ἐπιτιμῶσι· τοὐναντίον γὰρ ἅπαν, αὐτὴν μὲν βραχεῖαν εἶναι, τὸν δὲ βίον μακρόν.
And they find fault with the one who said that life is short and art is long; for they say it is entirely the opposite, that the art is short and life is long.
ἀφαιρεθέντων γὰρ πάντων τῶν ψευδῶς ὑπειλημμένων τὴν τέχνην ὠφελεῖν, καὶ πρὸς μόνας τὰς κοινότητας ἀποβλεπόντων ἡμῶν, οὔτε μακρὰν ἔτι τὴν ἰατρικὴν, οὔτε χαλεπὴν εἶναι, ῥᾴστην δὲ καὶ σαφῆ, καὶ μησὶν ἓξ ὅλην τάχιστα γνωσθῆναι δυναμένην.
For when all the things falsely supposed to benefit the art are removed, and we look to the commonalities alone, medicine is no longer long nor difficult, but very easy and clear, and able to be known in its entirety very quickly in six months.
οὕτω μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν δίαιταν νοσημάτων, ὡς στενὸν κομιδῇ συνῆχθαι τὸ πᾶν.
For in the case of diseases treated by regimen, the whole is contracted to a very narrow compass.
ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ χειρουργίαν τε καὶ φαρμακείαν.
Likewise also in the cases of surgery and pharmacology.
καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνοις καθόλου τινὰς κοινότητας ἐξευρίσκειν πειρῶνται, καὶ σκοποὺς ὑποτίθενται τῶν ἰαμάτων ὀλίγους τὸν ἀριθμὸν, ὥστ’ ἐμοὶ μὲν δοκεῖ, οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς πολυθρυλλήτοις ἕξ μησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολὺ θᾶττον ὅλην αὐτῶν τὴν τέχνην ἐκμαθεῖν ὑπῆρξεν.
For in those too they try to discover some general commonalities, and lay down few in number targets for remedies, so that to me it seems that not even in the famous six months, but even much more quickly, was it possible to learn their whole art.
καὶ χρὴ χάριν οὕτω γινώσκειν αὐτοῖς τῆς συντόμου διδασκαλίας, εἴγε μὴ ψεύδονται· ψευδομένοις δὲ ὀλιγωρίαν ἐγκαλεῖν.
And one must feel gratitude to them for such a concise teaching, if indeed they do not lie; but if they lie, we must charge them with neglect.