§6Εἰ δὲ δὴ καὶ τὸ μὲν εἴη θερμότερον αὐτῶν, τὸ δὲ ψυχρότερον, ἀλλὰ τοσούτῳ θερμότερον ἢ ψυχρότερον, ὡς μὴ λυπεῖν τὸ πλησιάσαν· ἢ οὕτως ἂν ἦν ἀλλήλοις λυπηρὰ καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἔχοντα τὰ μόρια, ὡς διαφέροντά γε καὶ αὐταῖς ταῖς κράσεσι.
If indeed, therefore, one of them should be warmer and another colder, but only warmer or colder by so much as not to pain that which is adjacent; otherwise, the parts, although differing indeed in their mixtures themselves, would be both painful to one another and in accordance with nature.
σὰρξ μὲν γὰρ θερμὸν μόριον, ὀστοῦν δὲ ψυχρόν.
For flesh is a warm part, and bone is a cold one.
ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἀνώδυνος ἡ ἀνωμαλία τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ὑπεροχῆς.
But the inequality of both these and of all the other parts is painless due to the measure of the excess.
οὕτω γοῦν καὶ τὸ περιέχον ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἀνιᾷ, πρὶν εἰς ἄμετρόν τε ψύξιν ἢ θερμασίαν ἐκτραπῆναι· τῶν δ’ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ διαφορῶν αὐτοῦ, καίτοι παμπόλλων οὐσῶν καὶ σαφῆ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν ἐχουσῶν, ἀλύπως αἰσθανόμεθα.
Thus, at any rate, even that which surrounds us does not distress us before it turns aside into immoderate cold or heat; and of its intermediate differences, although they are very many and have a clear excess, we perceive without pain.
κινδυνεύει τοιγαροῦν ἐκ τῶνδε κᾀκεῖνος ὁ λόγος ἔχειν ἐπιείκειαν, ὥς που καὶ Ἱπποκράτης φησὶν, ὁ φάσκων ἕλκη πάντ’ εἶναι τὰ νοσήματα.
It is likely, therefore, from these things that that saying also has plausibility, as indeed Hippocrates says somewhere, he who asserts that all diseases are ulcers.
συνεχείας μὲν γὰρ λύσις τὸ ἕλκος, αἱ δ’ ἄμετροι θερμασίαι καὶ ψύξεις πλησίον ἥκουσι τοῦ λύειν τὴν συνέχειαν.
For an ulcer is a dissolution of continuity, and immoderate heats and colds come near to dissolving continuity.
ἡ μὲν γὰρ πολλὴ θερμασία τῷ διακρίνειν τε καὶ διατέμνειν τῆς οὐσίας τὸ συνεχὲς, ἡ δ’ ἄκρα ψύξις τῷ πιλεῖν τε καὶ συνωθεῖν εἴσω τὰ μὲν ἐκπιέζει, τὰ δὲ θλᾷ.
For excessive heat, by separating and cutting through the continuity of the substance, [dissolves it], while extreme cold, by compressing and forcing inward, squeezes out some things and crushes others.
καὶ τοῦτόν γέ τις ὅρον τιθέμενος ἀμετρίας θερμοῦ καὶ ψυχροῦ, τάχ’ ἂν οὐκ ἄπο τρόπου γιγνώσκειν δόξειεν.
And if someone should lay this down as the limit of the immoderateness of hot and cold, he would perhaps seem to judge not unreasonably.
εἴτε δὲ οὗτος εἴτε ἄλλος τις ὅρος ἐστὶ τῆς ἀμετρίας, ἀλλὰ τό γ’ ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὶ πᾶσαν ἀμετρίαν ὑπάρχειν ἤδη που πρόδηλον.
But whether this or some other is the limit of immoderateness, yet this at least is already quite clear: that all immoderateness exists in relation to something.
οὐ γὰρ ὡσαύτως ὑπὸ τῶν θερμῶν ἢ ψυχρῶν ἅπαν τὸ σῶμα διατίθεται.
For the whole body is not affected in the same way by hot things or cold things.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τινὰ μὲν οἰκείους ἔχει τοὺς χυμοὺς ἀλλήλοις ζῶα, τινὰ δ’ οὐ μόνον οἰκείους ἔχει, ἀλλὰ καὶ φθαρτικοὺς, οἷον ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἔχιδνα.
And on this account, some animals have humors that are akin to one another, while others have them not only not akin, but even destructive, as for instance a human and a viper.
τὸ γοῦν σίελον ὀλέθριόν ἐστιν ἑκατέρῳ τὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου.
At any rate, the saliva of the one is destructive to the other.
οὕτω γοῦν καὶ σκορπίον ἀναιρήσεις ἐπιπτύων νῆστις, οὐ μὴν ἄνθρωπός γε ἄνθρωπον ἀναιρήσει δάκνων, οὐδὲ ἔχις ἔχιν, οὐδ’ ἀσπίδα ἀσπίς.
In this way, at any rate, you will kill a scorpion by spitting on it while fasting, yet indeed a human will not kill a human by biting, nor a viper a viper, nor an asp an asp.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὅμοιον οἰκεῖον εἶναι καὶ φίλιον, τὸ δ’ ἐναντίον ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἀνιαρόν.
For that which is similar is akin and friendly, while that which is opposite is hostile and painful.
αὐξάνεται οὖν ἅπαντα καὶ τρέφεται πρὸς τῶν ὁμοίων, ἀναιρεῖται δὲ καὶ φθείρεται πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων.
All things, therefore, grow and are nourished by similar things, but are destroyed and perish by opposite things.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἡ μὲν τῆς ὑγείας φυλακὴ διὰ τῶν ὁμοίων, ἡ δὲ τῶν νοσημάτων ἀναίρεσις διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων.
And on this account, the preservation of health is by means of similar things, and the destruction of diseases is by means of opposite things.
ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἕτερος λόγος.
But concerning these things, there is another discussion.
ὁ δ’ ἑκτικὸς ἐκεῖνος πυρετὸς ὁ τὴν ἕξιν ἤδη τοῦ ζώου κατειληφὼς ἀναίσθητός ἐστι τῷ κάμνοντι.
But that hectic fever, which has already seized the state of the animal, is unperceived by the patient.
τῶν δ’ ἄλλων πυρετῶν οὐδεὶς ἀναίσθητος, ἀλλ’ οἱ μὲν μᾶλλον, οἱ δὲ ἧττον ἀνιαροὶ τοῖς νοσοῦσιν.
Of the other fevers, none is unperceived, but some are more, others less distressing to the sick.
ἔνιοι δ’ αὐτῶν καὶ ῥῖγος ἐπιφέρουσι.
And some of them also bring on shivering.
γίνεται γὰρ οὖν δὴ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ σύμπτωμα, καθάπερ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ, πρὸς τῆς ἀνωμάλου δυσκρασίας.
For indeed this symptom also, just like many others, arises from the unequal dyscrasia.
εἰπεῖν δ’ οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ τὸν τρόπον αὐτῆς τῆς γενέσεως ἐν τῷ ἐνεστῶτι λόγῳ, πρὶν ἀποδεῖξαι περὶ τῶν φυσικῶν δυνάμεων, ὅσαι τέ εἰσι καὶ ὁποῖαι, καὶ ὅ τι δρᾷν ἑκάστη πέφυκεν.
But it is not possible to state the manner of its origin in the present discourse, before demonstrating concerning the natural faculties, how many and of what kind they are, and what each is by nature suited to do.
ἀλλ’ ἐν ταῖς τῶν συμπτωμάτων αἰτίαις ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων εἰρήσεται.
But in the causes of symptoms, it will be spoken concerning all of them.