Humanitext Reader

Galen · The Uneven Bad-Mixture §7

Causes of Fever Without Inflammation and Unequal Dyscrasia

Passage 5 of 6 · Greek

Summary

The author returns to the classification of unequal dyscrasia, explaining how fevers arise without inflammation due to causes such as the putrefaction of humors, suppressed transpiration, anger, and exposure to heat. He distinguishes between internal and external factors causing these changes in bodily mixture and also touches upon the effects of severe cold.

§7Ἐπάνειμι δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰς τῆς ἀνωμάλου δυσκρασίας διαφοράς.
I return again to the differences of unequal dyscrasia.
ὅπως μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ φλεγμονῇ γίγνεται πυρετὸς ἅπας, ὅτι τε καὶ πυρετὸς καὶ φλεγμονὴ πᾶσα, χωρὶς τῶν ἑκτικῶν ὀνομαζομένων, ἐκ τῶν ἀνωμάλως κεκραμένων νοσημάτων, ἤδη μοι λέλεκται.
For how every fever arises upon inflammation, and that every fever and every inflammation, apart from those called hectic, belongs to the diseases of unequal mixture, has already been spoken by me.
γίνεται δὲ καὶ χωρὶς φλεγμονῆς ἐπὶ σήψει χυμῶν πυρετός.
But a fever also arises without inflammation upon the putrefaction of humors.
οὐ γὰρ δὴ τά γε ἐσφηνωμένα καὶ μὴ διαπνεόμενα σήπεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τάχιστα μὲν καὶ μάλιστα· σήπεται δὲ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων εἰς σῆψιν.
For indeed, not only those things that are wedged in and not transpired putrefy, but these do so most quickly and most of all; and many other things suitable for putrefaction also putrefy.
εἰρήσεται δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς τούτων ἐπιτηδειότητος ἑτέρωθι.
And it will be spoken concerning their suitability elsewhere.
καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ κατ’ ἄλλον τρόπον ἀνώμαλος ἔσται δυσκρασία περὶ σύμπαν τὸ σῶμα, ποτὲ μὲν λιγνυώδους διαπνοῆς ἐπισχεθείσης, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκ γυμνασίων πλειόνων, ἢ πόνων αὐξηθέντων, τὴν θερμασίαν ἐπιτεινόντων, ποτὲ δὲ ἐπὶ θυμῷ, ζέσαντος ἀμετρότερον τοῦ αἵματος, ἢ δι’ ἔγκαυσίν τινα, ἔξωθεν ἐκθερμανθέντος.
And indeed, also in another manner there will be an unequal dyscrasia concerning the whole body, sometimes when the sooty transpiration is suppressed, sometimes from excessive exercises or increased labors, which intensify the heat, sometimes upon anger, when the blood boils more immoderately, or through some exposure to heat, when it is heated from without.
ὅτι δὲ κᾀν τούτοις ἅπασι τοῖς πυρετοῖς, ὥσπερ κᾀν τοῖς ἐπὶ ταῖς φλεγμοναῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐλέγετο, παρά τε τὴν ἰσχὺν τοῦ δρῶντος αἰτίου καὶ παρὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος διάθεσιν οἱ μὲν μᾶλλον πυρέσσουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἧττον, οἱ δὲ οὐδ’ ὅλως, εὔδηλον εἶναι νομίζω.
And that in all these fevers also, just as was said before in the case of those upon inflammations, according to the strength of the active cause and according to the disposition of the body, some fever more, others less, and others not at all, I think is quite clear.
καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ ὡς ποτὲ μὲν ταύτης τῆς πνευματώδους μόνης οὐσίας, ἐνίοτε δὲ ἅπτεται καὶ τῶν χυμῶν ἡ δυσκρασία, πρόδηλον καὶ τοῦτο οὐδὲν ἧττον, καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τοιούτοις χρονίζουσιν ὁ καλούμενος ἑκτικὸς ἀκολουθήσει.
And indeed, also that sometimes this pneumatic substance alone, but sometimes the dyscrasia also touches the humors, this is no less clear beforehand, and that upon all such things when they persist, the so-called hectic fever will follow.
καί πως ὁ λόγος ἤδη δείκνυσιν, ὡς ἐνίοτε μὲν οὐσίας θερμῆς ἢ ψυχρᾶς ἐπιῤῥυείσης μορίῳ τινὶ γίγνεσθαι συμβαίνει τὴν ἀνώμαλον ταύτην δυσκρασίαν, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν φλεγμαινόντων ἐλέγετο, πολλάκις δ’ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ’ αὐτῆς τοῦ σώματος τῆς κράσεως ἀλλοιωθείσης κατὰ ποιότητα· καὶ ὡς τῶν ἀλλοιούντων αὐτὴν τὰ μὲν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ σώματος ὁρμᾶται, τὰ δὲ ἔξωθεν· ὅταν μὲν ἐπὶ σήψεσι μόναις, ἤ τισι φλεγμοναῖς ἐγείρηται πυρετὸς, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ σώματος· ὅταν δὲ ἐπὶ ἐγκαύσεσι καὶ γυμνασίοις, ἔξωθεν.
And somehow the discourse already shows that sometimes indeed, when a hot or cold substance flows into some part, it happens that this unequal dyscrasia arises, just as was said in the case of those suffering from inflammation, but often not in this way, but when the mixture itself of the body is altered in quality; and that of those things altering it, some start from the body itself, others from without: when indeed a fever is excited upon putrefactions alone, or some inflammations, from the body itself; but when upon exposures to heat and exercises, from without.
εἰρήσεται δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτων ἐπὶ πλέον αὖθις ἐν ταῖς τῶν νοσημάτων αἰτίαις.
But it will be spoken concerning these things at greater length again in the causes of diseases.
ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπὶ ἐγκαύσει γίνεται πυρετὸς, ἀλλοιωθείσης τῆς τοῦ σώματος κράσεως, οὕτως ἐν κρύει πολλάκις ἐψύγησαν ἰσχυρῶς ἔνιοι σύμπαν τὸ σῶμα, καί τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπέθανον· καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ ὡς ἀλγοῦσιν οὕτω πάντες, οὐδὲ τοῦτ’ ἄδηλον.
And just as upon exposure to heat a fever arises, the mixture of the body being altered, so in cold many have often been severely chilled in their whole body, and some of them died; and indeed, also that they all suffer pain in this way is not unclear either.

Notes

  1. p.747ὅπως μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ φλεγμονῇ γίγνεται... ὅτι τε καὶ... ἐκ τῶν ἀνωμάλως κεκραμένων νοσημάτων... ἤδη μοι λέλεκται — The indirect question clause introduced by ὅπως ('how') and the noun clause introduced by ὅτι ('that') are coordinated to serve as the subject of the passive verb λέλεκται. The prepositional phrase/genitive ἐκ τῶν ἀνωμάλως κεκραμένων νοσημάτων behaves as a predicative genitive implying the omission of the copula ἐστί, denoting classification ('belongs to the class of diseases of unequal mixture').
  2. 252λιγνυώδους διαπνοῆς ἐπισχεθείσης — A genitive absolute construction expressing the immediate cause of the fever. It stands in parallel with the subsequent genitive absolutes, such as πόνων αὐξηθέντων and ζέσαντος... τοῦ αἵματος, indicating various causes.
  3. p.748εὔδηλον εἶναι νομίζω — The verb νομίζω governs an accusative and infinitive (ACI) construction, where the infinitive clause εὔδηλον εἶναι takes the entire preceding ὅτι clause ('that in all these fevers... some fever more, some less, and some not at all') as its subject.
  4. p.748ἐψύγησαν — The third-person plural of the aorist passive. It functions as a gnomic aorist to state a general truth or natural occurrence ('some are severely chilled') rather than a single historical past event.

Cite this passage

Galen, The Uneven Bad-Mixture §7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0057.tlg055.humanitext-grc1:7

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