§6#1Πρόδηλον δ’ ὅτι καὶ τὰ τῶν συνθέτων νοσημάτων αἴτια σύνθετα πάντως ἐστίν.
It is perfectly clear that the causes of composite diseases are also altogether composite.
εἰ γὰρ ἅμα θερμὴ καὶ ξηρὰ συνέλθοι ποτὲ αἰτία, θερμὸν καὶ ξηρὸν ἀνάγκη γενέσθαι τὸ νόσημα, καὶ εἰ θερμὴ καὶ ὑγρὰ, θερμὸν καὶ ὑγρόν· οὕτω δὲ κᾀπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν δυοῖν συζυγιῶν, ὑγρᾶς καὶ ψυχρᾶς καὶ ξηρᾶς καὶ ψυχρᾶς.
For if a hot and dry cause should ever come together at the same time, it is necessary that the disease become hot and dry, and if hot and wet, hot and wet; and in the same way with the remaining two pairings, wet and cold, and dry and cold.
ὅπερ δ’ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν ἐν τῷ λόγῳ προσθεῖναί τε καὶ διορίσασθαι, τοῦτο ἤδη λεγέσθω, τὸ πολλάκις μὲν ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν αἰτίων ὁμοειδῶν ἀλλήλοις ὄντων ἀλλοιοῦσθαι τὸ σῶμα, πολλάκις δὲ ἐναντίων ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ὑπαρχόντων, ποτὲ μὲν τὰ πλείω κρατεῖν ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἢ τὰ πολυχρονιώτερα, ποτὲ δὲ τὰ ἰσχυρότερα, ποτὲ δὲ τὴν ἀπ’ ἀμφοτέρων βλάβην ὁμοίως ἀναδέχεσθαι τὸ σῶμα.
But what is necessary to add and define in this discussion, let this now be said: namely, that while often the body is altered by all causes that are of the same kind as one another, often when causes are opposite in their powers, sometimes the majority of them, or the longer-lasting ones, prevail, sometimes the stronger ones, and sometimes the body receives the harm from both in like manner.
καί τι δόξειεν ἂν εἶναι τοῦτό γε ἀδύνατον ἅμα θερμότερόν τε καὶ ψυχρότερον ἀποτελεῖσθαι τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ἕν καὶ ταὐτὸν σῶμα, καὶ ὑγρότερον αὖ καὶ ξηρότερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γίνεται τοῦτο.
And it might seem to be impossible for one and the same body to become at the same time hotter and colder than its natural state, and again wetter and drier, yet this too happens.
καὶ δεόντως ἀνώμαλος ὀνομάζεται δυσκρασία, καὶ ἡμῖν ἰδίᾳ περὶ αὐτῆς ἐν ἑτέρῳ γράμματι λέλεκται τὰ εἰκότα, καὶ οὐ χρὴ νῦν ἔτι μηκύνειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τὰ λοιπὰ γένη τῶν νοσημάτων ἰτέον ἤδη τὰς αἰτίας αὐτῶν σκεψομένους.
And it is rightly called an uneven dyscrasia, and what is appropriate has been said by us privately concerning it in another treatise, and we must not now dwell on these things any longer, but we must already proceed to the remaining kinds of diseases to examine their causes.
ἀναμνησθῆναι δὲ πάλιν κᾀνταῦθα προσήκει τῶν εἰρημένων ἐν τῷ περὶ τῆς τῶν νοσημάτων διαφορᾶς, ὡς ἐνίοτε μὲν αὐταῖς μόναις ταῖς τέτταρσι ποιότησιν ἐξίσταται τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ἔχειν τὰ σώματα, μηδεμιᾶς ἔξωθεν αὐτοῖς ἐπιῤῥυείσης ἑτέρας οὐσίας, ἐνίοτε δὲ ἐμπίπλαται ῥεύματος ὑγροῦ μὲν πάντως τὴν ἰδέαν, οὐχ ὑγροῦ δὲ τὴν δύναμιν.
And it is fitting to recall here again what was said in the treatise On the Difference of Diseases, how sometimes the bodies depart from their natural state by those four qualities alone, with no other substance flowing into them from without, and sometimes the body is filled with a fluid that is altogether wet in its appearance, but not wet in its power.
εἴρηται μὲν οὖν καὶ τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἰατροῖς τε καὶ φιλοσόφοις ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν τοιούτων ὑγρῶν δυνάμεως· ἀποδέδεικται δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν ἐν ἄλλοις τέ τισι καὶ ἐν τοῖς περὶ φαρμάκων ὑπομνήμασιν.
Now, the power of such fluids has been spoken of by both ancient physicians and philosophers, and has also been demonstrated by us in various other works and in the commentaries On Drugs.
ὅσον δ’ ἐξ αὐτῶν εἰς τὰ παρόντα χρήσιμον, εἰρήσεται καὶ νῦν, ὡς ἡ μὲν ξανθὴ χολὴ θερμὴ καὶ ξηρὰ τὴν δύναμίν ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ μέλαινα ξηρὰ, καὶ ψυχρά· ὑγρὸν δὲ καὶ θερμὸν τὸ αἷμα καὶ ψυχρὸν καὶ ὑγρὸν τὸ φλέγμα· καὶ ὡς ἐνίοτε μὲν εἰλικρινὴς ἐπιῤῥεῖ τούτων ἕκαστος τῶν χυμῶν, ἐνίοτε δ’ ἀλλήλοις ἐπιμίγνυνται· καὶ ὡς αἱ τῶν οἰδούντων τε καὶ σκιῤῥουμένων καὶ φλεγμαινόντων μορίων διαθέσεις ἐντεῦθεν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ποικίλλονται.
But as much of them as is useful for the present purposes will be said now: namely, that yellow bile is hot and dry in its power, and black bile is dry and cold; and blood is wet and hot, and phlegm is cold and wet; and that sometimes each of these humors flows in pure, and sometimes they are mixed with one another; and that the conditions of parts that are swelling, becoming scirrhous, or inflaming are for the most part diversified from this.
καὶ γὰρ οὖν καὶ ἄνθρακες καὶ καρκῖνοι καὶ ἕρπητες ἐρυσιπέλατά τε καὶ γάγγραιναι καὶ φύγεθλα καὶ φαγέδαιναι καὶ σατυριάσεις ἐκ τούτου τοῦ γένους εἰσί.
Indeed, carbuncles, cancers, herpes, erysipelas, gangrenes, phygethla, phagedenas, and satyriasis are of this class.
καὶ μὴν καὶ ἄλφοι καὶ ἀθερώματα καὶ ὀχῶρες καὶ μελικηρίδες καὶ γαγγλία καὶ στεατώματα ῥευμάτων εἰσὶν ἔγγονα νοσήματα.
Furthermore, alphos, atheromata, achores, melicerides, ganglia, and steatomata are diseases descended from fluxions.
διαφέρει δ’ ἀλλήλων ταῦτα καὶ ἄλλα σύμπαντα τὰ προειρημένα τῷ τὰ μὲν ἐκ φλέγματος γίγνεσθαι μόνου, τὰ δὲ ἐξ αἵματος, τὰ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ξανθῆς χολῆς, τὰ δὲ ἐκ τῆς μελαίνης, τὰ δὲ ἐξ ἄλλου τινὸς χυμοῦ οὐ τελέως παρὰ φύσιν.
These and all the other aforementioned diseases differ from one another in that some arise from phlegm alone, some from blood, some from yellow bile, some from black bile, and some from some other humor that is not entirely contrary to nature.
ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος ὅστις ἂν ᾖ, πάντως ἔκ τινος τῶν προειρημένων ἐστὶ γενῶν· οὐ γὰρ ἐνδέχεται μὴ οὐχὶ θερμὸν εἶναι καὶ ξηρὸν αὐτὸν, ἢ θερμὸν καὶ ὑγρὸν, ἢ ψυχρὸν καὶ ξηρὸν, ἢ ψυχρὸν καὶ ὑγρὸν, ἀλλ’ ὅσον ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἥκει πάχους καὶ ψύξεως, ἐκπίπτει μὲν τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν φλέγματος τῆς ἰδέας, ἕτερος δὲ εἶναι δοκεῖ χυμὸς ὅλῳ τῷ γένει παρὰ φύσιν.
But whatever this may be, it is altogether from one of the aforementioned classes; for it is not possible that it should not be either hot and dry, or hot and wet, or cold and dry, or cold and wet, but insofar as it has reached the greatest degree of thickness and coldness, it departs from the appearance of natural phlegm, and seems to be another humor contrary to nature in its whole class.
οὐ μὴν οὕτως γε ἔχει τἀληθές. ὅστις ἂν γὰρ ὑγρὸς ᾖ καὶ ψυχρὸς τὴν δύναμιν, ἐν τῷ τοῦ φλέγματος γένει περιέχεται.
Yet the truth is not so; for whatever is wet and cold in its power is contained within the class of phlegm.