§1## ΓΑΛΗΝΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΤΑΙΣ ΝΟΣΟΙΣ ΚΑΙΡΩΝ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΝ.
Οἷόν τι τοῖς ζώοις ἐστὶν ἡ κατὰ τὰς ἡλικίας διαφορὰ, τοιοῦτον τοῖς νοσήμασιν οὓς ὀνομάζουσι καιρούς. οὔτε γὰρ ὁ χρόνος ἁπλῶς δηλοῦται διὰ τῆσδε τῆς προσηγορίας, οὔθ’ ὁ προσήκων χρόνος, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ τὰ βοηθήματα σκοπούμεθα· μόνη δὲ ἡ τῶν νοσημάτων, ὡς εἴρηται, ἡλικία, χρόνων ἀμοιβαῖς ὑπαλλαττομένη, καθάπερ καὶ τὸ ζῶον ταῖς ἡλικίαις.
## GALEN'S BOOK ON THE SEASONS IN DISEASES. What difference in age is to animals, such is to diseases what they call "seasons." For neither is time simply indicated by this appellation, nor the proper time, in view of which we also consider remedies; but only, as has been said, the age of diseases, which changes with the successions of times, just as the animal does with its ages.
ἔοικε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τοῖς φθαρτοῖς σώμασιν ὑπάρχειν πᾶσι, τοῖς μὲν μᾶλλον, τοῖς δὲ ἧττον, ὡς εἴ γε διαπαντὸς ἔμεινεν αὐτῶν ἀπαράλλακτος καὶ ἄτρεπτος ἡ φύσις, τὴν οὐσίαν τὴν ἑαυτῆς φυλάττουσα, οὐκ ἂν ἐφθείρετο.
And this seems to belong to all destructible bodies, to some more, to others less, since if indeed their nature remained altogether unchangeable and unaltered, preserving its own essence, they would not be destroyed.
καθάπερ οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ γεννηθέντες αὐξανόμεθα μέχρι τῆς ἀκμῆς, εἶτ’ ἐντεῦθεν ἀρξάμενοι φθίνειν ἕως ἐσχάτου τέλους ἀφικνούμεθα φθορᾶς, ὅσοι πάσας διεξέρχεσθαι μέλλομεν τὰς ἡλικίας, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τῶν ἀῤῥωστημάτων ἕκαστον μετὰ τὴν πρώτην σύστασιν τῆς γενέσεως αὐτῶν ὁδῷ τῇ ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον παραυξήσει χρώμενον μέχρι τῆς ἀκμῆς ἵεται, ἕως ἀνάλογον τῆς πρόσθεν αὐξήσεως μειούμενον εἰς παντελῆ διάλυσιν ἐλθεῖν.
Therefore, just as we ourselves, having been born, grow until our prime, and then, beginning from there to decline, arrive at the final end of destruction—as many of us as are destined to go through all the ages—in the same manner each of the ailments also, after the first constitution of their generation, making use of the path toward greater increase, hastens until its prime, until, decreasing proportionally to its previous growth, it comes to complete dissolution.
τάχα δ’ ἂν ἴσως δόξειε ταύτῃ μόνον διαφέρειν ἡ τῶν νοσημάτων κατὰ χρόνον ἐξαλλαγὴ τῆς κατὰ τὰ ζῶα ἡλικίας, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν ζώοις ἴδιός ἐστιν ὁ χρόνος τῆς γεννήσεως, ἐν ᾧ διαπλάττεται πάντα τὰ μόρια τὰ πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν ἀναγκαῖα, τῶν νοσημάτων δὲ οὐδείς ἐστι χρόνος τοιοῦτος ἴδιος, ἀλλ’ εὐθὺς ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης εἰσβολῆς αὐξάνεται.
But perhaps it might seem that the change of diseases according to time differs from the age of animals only in this: that for animals there is a proper time of generation, in which all the parts necessary for life are formed, but for diseases there is no such proper time, but they increase immediately from the first onset.
καὶ τοῦτ’ εἰκότως γίγνεται· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ζῶα σώματά ἐστι, τὰ δὲ νοσήματα τοῖς σώμασι συμβεβηκότα.
And this happens reasonably; for animals are bodies, while diseases are accidents to bodies.
διάπλασιν μὲν οὖν καὶ γένεσιν ἐπιζητεῖ ἡ τῶν σωμάτων ἰδιότης, τὰ συμβαίνοντα δ’ αὐτοῖς, ἅτε μηδεμιᾶς διαπλάσεως δεόμενα, κατὰ τὴν πρώτην εἰσβολὴν εὐθέως ἅμα τὴν γένεσιν ἔχει καὶ πρὸς τὴν αὔξησιν ἐπείγεται.
Therefore, the propriety of bodies demands formation and generation, but what happens to them, requiring no formation, immediately has its generation at the first onset and hastens toward increase.
τίς γὰρ ἂν εἴη φλεγμονῆς γένεσις, ὁποία ζώου κυουμένου διάπλασις;
For what generation of inflammation could there be, such as the formation of a pregnant animal?
ἢ τίς ἐρυσιπέλατος, ἢ τίς εἰ οὕτως ἔτυχε πυρετοῦ;
Or what of erysipelas, or what, if it so happens, of fever?
φαίνεται γὰρ ἕκαστον τούτων εὐθὺς ἅμα τῷ πρῶτον ἄρξασθαι τοιοῦτον ὑπάρχον τὴν ἰδέαν, ὁποῖόν ἐστι τὸ μέγιστον ἐν ταὐτῷ γένει, λειπόμενον δ’ ἐκείνου μόνον τῷ μεγέθει.
For each of these appears, immediately upon first beginning, to exist with such a form as is the greatest in the same genus, falling short of that only in size.
θερμότερον γοῦν ἑαυτοῦ σὺν ὄγκῳ μείζονι μετ’ ὀδύνης τε ἅμα καὶ τάσεως γίνεται τὸ φλεγμαῖνον· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα κατὰ μὲν τὴν εἰσβολὴν μικρὰ, τοὐντεῦθεν αὐξάνεται μέχρι τινὸς μεγέθους, οὐκ ἴσου πᾶσιν, ὅθεν ἐφεξῆς ἤτοι διεφορήθη τοῖς βοηθήμασιν ὁ παρὰ φύσιν ὄγκος ἅμα τῷ καὶ τὴν ὀδύνην αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν θερμότητα συναποπαύεσθαι, ἢ μετέβαλεν εἰς πῦον.
At any rate, that which is inflamed becomes hotter than itself with a greater swelling, and at the same time with pain and tension; but these are small at the onset, and thereafter increase up to a certain size, not equal for all, whence subsequently either the unnatural swelling is dispersed by remedies, while the pain and heat cease along with it, or it turns into pus.
αὗται γὰρ αἱ τῆς φλεγμονῆς λύσεις, ἄν γε μέλλῃ λύεσθαι· περὶ τούτων γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος ἔστω πρότερον, ἀναβεβλημένης κατὰ τὸ παρὸν εἰς ὕστερον τῆς περὶ τῶν μὴ λυομένων νοσημάτων ἐπισκέψεως.
For these are the resolutions of inflammation, if indeed it is to be resolved; for let our discussion be about these first, while the investigation concerning diseases that are not resolved is postponed for the present to a later time.
χρόνος οὖν οὐδείς ἐστιν ἴδιος ἐξαίρετος ἀποτεταγμένος τῇ γενέσει τῆς φλεγμονῆς, ἕτερος τοῦ τῆς αὐξήσεως, ἀλλ’ εἷς ὁ σύμπας, ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης εἰσβολῆς ἄχρι τῆς ἀκμῆς αὐξανομένου τοῦ πάθους.
Therefore, there is no proper, exceptional time set apart for the generation of inflammation, different from that of its increase, but there is one whole time, from the first onset until the prime, during which the disease increases.
οὕτω δ’ ἔχει καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐρυσιπελάτων ἁπάντων τε τῶν ἄλλων.
And it is the same way also concerning all erysipelases and all other things.
καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ πυρετὸς ἐν γένει μὲν, οἶμαι, τῆς παρὰ φύσιν ἐστὶ θερμασίας· ταύτης δὲ οὐκ ἀποτέτμηται ὁ χρόνος ἴδιος τῆς γενέσεως, ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὰν πρῶτον ἄρξηται τὸ σῶμα θερμότερον ἑαυτοῦ γίνεσθαι πυρετώδει θερμασίᾳ, τοὐντεῦθεν ἕτερος ἐφ’ ἑτέρῳ καιρὸς ἐκδέχεται τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ πάθους, ἄχρι τῆς παντελοῦς ἀκμῆς, ἣν ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὄντων ἔσχατον τὸ μέγεθος εἶναι νοοῦμεν.
For indeed fever also, I believe, is in the genus of unnatural heat; and of this, no proper time of generation is cut off, but as soon as the body first begins to become hotter than itself with a feverish heat, from then on one season after another succeeds to the increase of the disease, until its complete prime, which we conceive to be the ultimate size in each of existing things.