§1## ΓΑΛΗΝΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΠΤΙΣΑΝΗΣ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΝ.
Ἐπειδὴ πρὸ μικροῦ τινὰς εὗρον τῶν ἰατρῶν περί τινα τῶν νοσούντων τῷ χυλῷ τῆς πτισάνης χρωμένους, μήτε, ἐφ’ ὧν ἐνδέχεται ἢ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται παρέχειν ἀῤῥώστων, προσδιοριζομένους, μήτε τὸν τρόπον, καὶ τὸ ποσὸν τῆς δόσεως, καὶ τὸν ἁρμόζοντα καιρὸν τῇ προσφορᾷ τοῦ ῥοφήματος προσαφορίζοντας, ἀλλ’, ὡς ἔοικε, τὴν τῆς πτισάνης χρῆσιν εὔθετον εἶναι λογιζομένους, ὁπηνίκ’ ἂν βουληθῶσι, ᾧδ’ ἔδοξέ μοι περὶ τῆς χρήσεως αὐτῆς ὅσα τῷ Ἱπποκράτει σαφέστερον ἐκθεμένῳ διὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν παρακολούθησιν ἑρμηνεῦσαι τόν τε τρόπον τῆς ἑψήσεως καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐνέργειαν, καὶ τὸν καιρὸν καὶ τὸ ποσὸν καὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς δόσεως, ὁπόσα τε ἀγαθὰ τοῖς σώμασι τῶν καμνόντων δίδωσιν ἁρμοζόντως προσφερομένη, καὶ τοὐναντίον πάλιν φαῦλα ἀκαίρως προσενεχθεῖσα, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ποίοις σώμασιν αὐτὴν προσήκει προσφέρειν, καὶ ποίοις οὐ προσήκει.
## GALEN'S BOOK ON BARLEY-GRUEL. Since a short time ago I found some physicians using the decoction of barley-gruel for certain of their patients, without defining in which cases of the sick it is or is not permissible to administer it, nor pre-determining the method, the amount of the dose, and the suitable time for the offering of the drink, but rather, as it seems, calculating that the use of barley-gruel is convenient whenever they might wish, it therefore seemed good to me to explain, concerning its use, as much as Hippocrates set out more clearly for the comprehension of the majority, both the method of boiling and its power and action, and the time, amount, and method of dosage, and how many benefits it gives to the bodies of the sick when offered fittingly, and on the contrary, how harmful it is when administered untimely, and in addition to these, to what bodies it is proper to offer it, and to what bodies it is not proper.
ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὴ σύνθετόν τι πρᾶγμα ὑπάρχει ἡ πτισάνη καὶ ὁ χυλὸς, (ἐκ κριθῆς γὰρ κατασκευάζεται πτισθείσης καλῶς, ὅ ἐστιν ἐκλεπισθείσης, καὶ ὕδατος, καὶ τοιᾶσδε ἑψήσεως,) πρῶτον περὶ τῶν μερῶν αὐτῆς ἔκρινα εἰπεῖν διὰ κεφαλαίων.
But since barley-gruel and its decoction are a composite thing (for it is prepared from barley well pounded, which is to say, husked, and water, and a certain boiling), I decided first to speak of its parts in summary.
εἰ μὴ γὰρ ταῦτά τις πρότερον διορίσηται, μεγάλως βλάψει, κᾂν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντ’ ἀκριβολογήσηται ἐφεξῆς.
For if one does not first define these, he will cause great harm, even if he should treat all the remaining details with precision in order.
§2Ὅτι μὲν οὖν τὸ ἄριστον ὕδωρ ἐκλέγεσθαι χρὴ εἰς τὴν κατασκευὴν τῆς πτισάνης, οὐδεὶς, οἶμαι, ἀμφισβητεῖ.
Now, that the best water must be selected for the preparation of barley-gruel, no one, I think, disputes.
ἄριστον δὲ ὕδωρ συστάσει, καὶ γεύσει, καὶ ὀσμῇ, καὶ χροιᾷ κρίνεται· τῇ μὲν γεύσει καὶ τῇ ὀσμῇ, ἵνα μηδεμίαν ἀλλόκοτον ὑπεμφαίνῃ ποιότητα, τουτέστιν ἵνα μὴ γλυκὺ ὑπάρχῃ, μήθ’ ἁλυκὸν, μήτ’ ὀξῶδες, ἢ δριμὺ, ἢ δυσῶδες, ἢ σηπεδονῶδες, ἢ ὅλως ἄλλην τινὰ ἐπίκτητον ποιότητα κεκτημένον, ἀλλ’ ἄποιον παντελῶς, καὶ χωρὶς πάσης ἐπικτήτου ποιότητος, καὶ χωρὶς πάσης ἐπιμιξίας γευστικῆς τε καὶ ὀσφραντικῆς.
And the best water is judged by its composition, taste, smell, and color: in taste and smell, that it should exhibit no strange quality, that is, that it be neither sweet, nor salty, nor sour, nor pungent, nor foul-smelling, nor putrid, nor possessing at all any other acquired quality, but completely without quality, and free from any acquired quality, and free from any admixture of taste and smell.
δεῖ μέντοι καὶ διαυγὲς εἶναι καὶ καθαρὸν καὶ μηδὲν ἰλυῶδες ἔχον, ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ἀκριβῶς διηθημένον, καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἐμφερομένων ψηγμάτων ἀπηλλαγμένον.
It must indeed also be transparent and clean, having nothing muddy, but as if precisely filtered, and freed from the particles floating in it.
τὸ γάρ τοι τοιοῦτον ὕδωρ πρὸς τὴν μὲν χρῆσίν ἐστι λυσιτελὲς, πρὸς δὲ τὴν φύσιν οὐδ’ οὕτως ἐστὶ καθαρὸν, ὥσπερ οὐδ’ ἄλλο τι τῶν αἰσθητῶν στοιχείων.
For such water is indeed profitable for use, but in its nature it is not so clean, just as none of the other perceptible elements is.
εἰ δὲ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, οἷον εἶπον, τὸ ὕδωρ, εὐθύς ἐστι λεπτομερέστερον αὐτὸ, ῥᾳδίως τε πεττόμενον καὶ ἀναδιδόμενον, καὶ τὰ ὑποχόνδρια ταχέως διεξερχόμενον, καὶ οὐ μόνον τῇ φυσικῇ θερμότητι πλησιάζον εὐαλλοίωτόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἔξωθεν πυρὶ προσομιλῆσαν θερμαίνεται συντόμως.
And if the water is such as I have said, it is immediately of finer parts, easily digested and distributed, and quickly passing through the hypochondria; and not only is it easily altered as it approaches natural heat, but also when it associates with external fire, it is warmed rapidly.
καὶ μάρτυς Ἱπποκράτης τοῦ λόγου ὕδωρ γὰρ τὸ ταχέως θερμαινόμενον καὶ αὖθις ταχέως ψυχόμενον κουφότατον εἶναι βούλεται, οὐ τὸ ἐλαφρὸν καὶ σταθμῷ διακρινόμενον, ἀλλὰ τὸ λεπτομερὲς καὶ ῥᾳδίως εἰς ἑαυτὸ τὰς ἐναντίας ποιότητας δεχόμενον.
And Hippocrates is a witness to this statement; for he wishes water that is quickly warmed and again quickly cooled to be the "lightest"—not that which is light as distinguished by weight, but that which is of fine parts and easily receives contrary qualities into itself.
τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτον ὕδωρ καὶ ψυχρόν ἐστι καὶ ὑγρὸν, καὶ ὕδωρ κυρίως.
And such water is both cold and wet, and is water in the proper sense.
τὰ δ’ ὑπό τινος οὐσίας ἢ ποιότητος νοθευθέντα, ὁποῖά εἰσι τὰ ἀσφαλτώδη, καὶ θειώδη, καὶ στυπτηριώδη, τοσοῦτον τῆς τοῦ ὕδατος φύσεως ἀφεστήκασιν, ὅσον καὶ ἐνοθεύθησαν.
But those waters adulterated by some substance or quality, such as those that are asphaltic, sulfurous, and aluminous, are as far removed from the nature of water as they have been adulterated.
εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀπόδειξιν ζητεῖς τοῦ ψύχειν τε καὶ ὑγραίνειν τὸ ὕδωρ, οὐ τοῦ νῦν ἐστι λόγου, περὶ πτισάνης προθεμένου διεξελθεῖν· πλὴν ὅτι ψυχρόν ἐστι καὶ ὑγρὸν, ἅπαντες οἱ παλαιοὶ ἀπέδειξαν, καὶ ἡ πεῖρα μαρτυρεῖ, καὶ πάντων δὲ λόγῳ ὁμολογούμενον τοῦτο λαβὼν εἰς τὸν περὶ κριθῆς λόγον ἔρχομαι.
And if you also seek a proof of water's cooling and moistening, it is not for the present discourse, which has proposed to treat of barley-gruel; except that it is cold and wet, all the ancients proved, and experience witnesses, and taking this as agreed upon by the reasoning of all, I come to the discourse on barley.