Humanitext Reader

Galen · The Opportune Moments in Diseases §9

The Course of Quotidian Fever and Distinguishing Disease Periods

Passage 11 of 11 · Greek

Summary

The author explains various phases of the ascent and decline in the course of quotidian fevers, comparing them with those of tertian fevers. He criticizes other physicians for redundantly writing about useless details and previews the importance of distinguishing the periods of the whole disease to apply proper remedies.

§9Εἰσβάλλει τοίνυν ὁ παροξυσμὸς τῶν καθ’ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν παροξυνομένων πυρετῶν ἐνίοτε μὲν ἄνευ σαφοῦς περιψύξεως, ἐνίοτε δὲ σὺν ταύτῃ, καὶ διαμένει γε τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἴδια τοῖς μὲν ἐπὶ πλείονα, τοῖς δὲ ἐπ’ ἐλάττονα χρόνον· καὶ δὴ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀνωμαλίας ὡσαύτως τοῖς μὲν ἐπὶ πλείονα, τοῖς δὲ ἐπ’ ἐλάττονα χρόνον· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀναβαίνει μέχρι τῆς ἀκμῆς ὁ πυρετὸς οὗτος ἐν πλείονι χρόνῳ τῶν διὰ τρίτης παροξυνομένων.
Therefore, the paroxysm of the fevers that have paroxysms every day makes its invasion sometimes without clear cooling, and sometimes with it, and the characteristics of the beginning persist, for some for a longer time, and for others for a shorter time; and indeed also those of the irregularity likewise, for some for a longer time, and for others for a shorter time; and after this, this fever ascends until the height in a longer time than those that have paroxysms every third day.
ὑπάρχει δ’ αὐτῷ καί τι τοιοῦτον, ὃ κᾀκείνοις μὲν ἔστιν ὅτε γίγνεται σπανίως, πολὺ μᾶλλον δ’ ἐν τούτῳ φαίνεται· σαφῆ ποιούμενος ἀνάβασιν, ἵσταταί τινι χρόνῳ μηδὲν προστιθεὶς, εἶτ’ αὖθις προστίθησιν.
And there is also something of this sort belonging to it, which indeed also in those sometimes occurs rarely, but is seen much more in this one: making a clear ascent, it stands for some time adding nothing, then again it adds.
οὕτω δὲ κᾀπὶ τῆς παρακμῆς ἤτοι γε ὁμαλὴν ποιεῖται τὴν ἀφαίρεσιν, ἢ μεταξὺ ἵστησιν ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μεγέθους, τοῖς μὲν ὥραν μίαν, τοῖς δὲ δύο, μετὰ ταῦτα ἀφαιρεῖ.
And likewise also in the decline, it either makes a uniform decrease, or in between it stands at the same magnitude, for some for one hour, and for others for two, and after this it decreases.
καὶ δὴ καὶ μέχρι τῆς εἰσβολῆς τοῦ δευτέρου παροξυσμοῦ τοῖς μὲν ἀφαιρεῖ, τοῖς δὲ ἐν ᾧπέρ ἐστι μεγέθει διαμένει.
And indeed also until the invasion of the second paroxysm, for some it decreases, and for others it persists in whatever magnitude it is.
μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦτο τοῖς διὰ τρίτης ὑπάρχει, διότι καὶ ἡ περίοδος αὐτῶν ἐστι μακροτέρα.
But this belongs more to those of every third day, because their period also is longer.
διπλασία γάρ πώς ἐστι τῷ χρόνῳ τῶν διὰ τρίτης παροξυνομένων πυρετῶν ἡ περίοδος, εἰ παραβάλλοιτο τῇ τῶν καθ’ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν.
For the period of the fevers that have paroxysms every third day is, as it were, double in time, if it should be compared to that of those of every day.
ὥστε ἐναργῶς διὰ τοῦτο χρονίζει τὸ λείψανον τῆς παρακμῆς αὐτῆς, ἐν ἴσῳ διαμένον μεγέθει.
So clearly because of this, the remnant of the decline itself lingers, persisting in equal magnitude.
πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι τρόποι περιόδων εἰσὶ, διαφοραῖς μερικαῖς ποικιλλόμενοι, περιττοὶ πρὸς τὰ νῦν ἐνεστῶτα.
And there are also many other modes of periods, varied by partial differences, which are superfluous for the present matters.
διὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἐνίων ἐμνημόνευσα, διότι τῶν ἰατρῶν οἱ μὴ γινώσκοντες, ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν οἰκεία τοῦ παρόντος σκέμματος ἡ τοιαύτη διδασκαλία, γεγράφασιν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, ἁμαρτάνοντες καὶ κατ’ αὐτῶν τὴν διήγησιν.
And because of this I mentioned some of them, because those of the physicians who do not know that such instruction is not proper to the present inquiry have written about them, making mistakes also in the narrative about them.
ἀλλ’ οὐ νῦν καιρὸς ἐλέγχειν αὐτοὺς ἐν οὐκ οἰκείῳ σκέμματι· μαθήσῃ δ’ ἐπιστημονικῶς, ὅτι γε φλυαροῦσιν ἄχρηστα, καὶ ὅτι θαυμαστῶς Ἱπποκράτους εὑρόντος τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς μέθοδον, οὔτ’ ἐξειργάσατό τις αὐτὴν, καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ διέφθειραν οἱ πλεῖστοι, κατ’ ἐκεῖνο μάλιστα τοῦ λόγου τὸ χωρίον, ἔνθα συνάπτειν μέλλω τοῖς εἰρημένοις καιροῖς τὰ βοηθήματα.
But now is not the time to refute them in an improper inquiry; you will learn scientifically that they babble useless things, and that although Hippocrates discovered the method in them wonderfully, no one worked it out, and in addition to this most of them even corrupted it, especially in that part of the discourse where I am about to connect the remedies to the aforementioned periods.
πραχθήσεται δέ μοι τοῦτο τοὺς ὅλου τοῦ νοσήματος ἐπιδείξαντι καιρούς· ἄχρι μὲν γὰρ τοῦδε τοὺς ἐν μέρει διῆλθον μόνους.
And this will be performed by me when I have demonstrated the periods of the whole disease; for until now I have gone through only those in part.

Notes

  1. 303τῶν διὰ τρίτης παροξυνομένων — Genitive of comparison, depending on the comparative adjective πλείονι (dative singular of πλείων), meaning '(in a longer time) than those having paroxysms every third day.'
  2. 303διπλασία γάρ πώς ἐστι τῷ χρόνῳ τῶν διὰ τρίτης παροξυνομένων πυρετῶν ἡ περίοδος, εἰ παραβάλλοιτο τῇ τῶν καθ’ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. — The subject is ἡ περίοδος τῶν διὰ τρίτης παροξυνομένων πυρετῶν (the period of the fevers that have paroxysms every third day), which is compared with the omitted τῇ [περιόδῳ] τῶν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν (the period of those of every day). τῷ χρόνῳ is a dative of respect ('in time').
  3. p.439Ἱπποκράτους εὑρόντος — Genitive absolute construction. In this context, it is interpreted in a concessive sense ('although Hippocrates discovered...').
  4. p.439πραχθήσεται δέ μοι τοῦτο τοὺς ὅλου τοῦ νοσήματος ἐπιδείξαντι καιρούς — μοι is a dative of agent accompanying the passive verb πραχθήσεται. The dative participle ἐπιδείξαντι agrees with μοι, expressing means or manner ('by demonstrating').

Cite this passage

Galen, The Opportune Moments in Diseases §9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0057.tlg046.humanitext-grc1:9

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.