§1.1Τοὺϲ ὑγιεινὰ τὰ ϲώματα ἔχονταϲ ἐργῶδεϲ καθαίρειν· καὶ γὰρ ἰλιγγιῶϲι καὶ ϲτροφοῦνται, καὶ δυϲχερῶϲ αὐτοῖϲ ἡ κάθαρϲιϲ προχωρεῖ, καὶ πρὸϲ τούτοιϲ ἔτι ταχέωϲ ἐκλύονται·
To purify those who have healthy bodies is a troublesome task; for indeed they experience giddiness and colic, and purification proceeds with difficulty for them, and in addition to this they quickly grow weak.
γίνεται δὲ ταῦτα πάντα, τοῦ καθαρτικοῦ φαρμάκου τὸν οἰκεῖον μὲν ἕλκειν ἐφιεμένου χυμόν, τῷ δ᾿ ἀπορεῖν αὐτοῦ τὸ οἷμα καὶ τὰϲ ϲάρκαϲ ϲυντήκοντοϲ, ἵνα ἐξ ἐκείνων ἕλξῃ τὸ οἰκεῖον.
All these things happen because the purgative drug desires to draw out its own appropriate humor, but because of the lack of it, dissolves the blood and the flesh so that it may draw out its own from them.
§1.2τοὺϲ δ᾿ ὑγιαίνονταϲ μὲν ἔτι, νοϲήϲανταϲ δ᾿ ἄν, εἰ μὴ κενωθεῖεν, φθάνειν χρὴ κενοῦν εἰϲβάλλοντοϲ | ἦροϲ, ἤτοι διὰ φλεβοτομίαϲ, εἰ πληθωρικοῖϲ ἁλίϲκοιντο νοϲήμαϲιν, ἢ διὰ καθάρϲεωϲ, εἰ τοῖϲ κατὰ διαφθοράν.
But those who are still healthy, yet would fall ill if they were not evacuated, should be evacuated beforehand at the onset | of spring, either by venesection, if they are prone to plethoric diseases, or by purification, if to those from putrefaction.
§1.3ἡμεῖϲ γοῦν καὶ ποδάγραν καὶ ἀρθρῖτιν ἀρχομένην καὶ μήπω περὶ τοῖϲ ἄρθροιϲ εἰργαϲμένην πώρουϲ ἐκ τῆϲ τοιαύτηϲ κενώϲεωϲ ἐτῶν ἤδη πολλῶν ἐκωλύϲαμεν γίνεϲθαι.
We, at any rate, have for many years now prevented gout and beginning arthritis, which has not yet produced chalk-stones around the joints, from occurring by means of such evacuation.
§1.4κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἀποπληξίαν, ἐπιληψίαν, μελαγχολίαν, ἄλλα τοιαῦτα χρόνια πάθη διὰ τῆϲ εἰρημένηϲ κενώϲεωϲ ἐπὶ πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπαύϲαμεν.
And in the same manner, we have cured apoplexy, epilepsy, melancholy, and other such chronic diseases in many people by means of the said evacuation.
§1.5ἐνίοιϲ μὲν οὖν ϲυμφέρει κενοῦϲθαι τοὺϲ φλεγματώδειϲ χυμούϲ, ἐνίοιϲ δὲ τοὺϲ πικροχόλουϲ, ἐνίοιϲ δὲ τοὺϲ μελαγχολικούϲ, ἐνίοιϲ δ᾿ ὀρῶδεϲ περίττωμα κατὰ τὴν τῶν εἰθιϲμένων αὐτοῖϲ γίνεϲθαι παθῶν οὐϲίαν.
Therefore, for some it is beneficial to evacuate phlegmatic humors, for others bilious humors, for others melancholic ones, and for others serous superfluity, according to the nature of the diseases that are accustomed to occur in them.
§1.6αὐτίκα μελαγχολίᾳ τιϲ ἁλίϲκεται καθ᾿ ἕκαϲτον ἔτοϲ, εἰ μὴ καθαρθείη, καὶ καθαίρω γε αὐτὸν οὐκ ἦροϲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ φθινοπώρου.
For instance, if someone is seized with melancholy every year unless he is purified, I purify him not only in the spring but also in the autumn.
§1.7οὕτωϲ δὲ | καὶ γυναῖκά τινα καθ᾿ ἕκαϲτον ἔτοϲ εἰϲβάλλοντοϲ ἦροϲ ὁμοίωϲ κενῶ, καρκινώδη διάθεϲιν ἐν μαϲτῷ ἔχουϲαν, ἣν ἰαϲάμην ἰϲχυρῶϲ κενώϲαϲ διὰ φαρμάκου καθαίροντοϲ μέλαιναν, καὶ εἰ παραλειφθείη §1.8ποτὲ ἡ κάθαρϲιϲ, ὀδύνη διὰ βάθουϲ αὐτῇ γίνεται.
In this way | I also evacuate a certain woman every year at the onset of spring, who has a cancerous disposition in her breast, whom I cured by strongly evacuating her by means of a drug that purges black bile; and if the purification should ever be omitted, pain occurs deep inside her.
ἐλέφαντα δ᾿ ἀρχόμενον ἑτέρῳ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα διά τε φλεβοτομίαϲ καὶ καθάρϲεωϲ ἰαϲάμην· ἑκάϲτου δ᾿ ἔτουϲ αὖθιϲ ἀρκεῖ καὶ τούτω μία κάθαρϲιϲ· ἐκλειφθείϲηϲ δ᾿ αὐτῆϲ, αὐτίκα τὸ πάθοϲ ἐπιϲημαίνει.
And another person who was in the beginning stage of elephantiasis I cured at first through both venesection and purification; and for him too, one purification each year is sufficient afterwards; but if it is omitted, the disease immediately shows its signs.
§1.9τὰ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα νοϲήματα καθάρϲεωϲ χρῄζει μελάνων χυμῶν, ἐπιληπτικὰ δὲ καὶ ἀποπληκτικὰ καὶ ἀϲθματικὰ τῶν φλεγματωδῶν, ἀρθριτικὰ δὲ τὰ μὲν ἅμα θερμαϲίᾳ πολλῇ τῶν πικροχόλων, τὰ δὲ ϲὺν ὄγκοιϲ ψυχροῖϲ τῶν φλεγματικῶν.
Therefore, such diseases require the purification of black humors, while epileptic, apoplectic, and asthmatic ones require that of phlegmatic humors, and arthritic ones require that of bilious humors if accompanied by much heat, but that of phlegmatic humors if accompanied by cold swellings.
§1.10ἄλλοϲ δέ τιϲ ὥρᾳ θέρουϲ αἰεὶ τριτοίοιϲ ἁλιϲκόμενοϲ πυρετοῖϲ ἤδη πολλῶν ἐτῶν οὐκ ἐπύρεξε, χολὴν ὠχρὰν | φθάνων ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν καθαίρεϲθαι κατὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ ἦροϲ·
And another person, who used to be seized with tertian fevers always in the summer season, has now for many years not had a fever, because he is purified of yellow bile | beforehand by us at the end of spring.
οὕτωϲ γὰρ ἄμεινόν ἐϲτι τοὺϲ τοιούτουϲ κενοῦν, ὡϲ τούϲ γε ἐπιληπτικοὺϲ ἀρθριτικούϲ τε καὶ μελαγχολικοὺϲ ὅϲοι τε ἄλλοι διὰ παχεῖϲ χυμοὺϲ νοϲοῦϲιν εἰϲβάλλοντοϲ ἦροϲ ἄμεινον κενοῦϲθαι.
For it is better to evacuate such people in this way, just as it is better for epileptics, arthritics, melancholics, and all others who are ill because of thick humors to be evacuated at the onset of spring.
§1.11χρὴ δὲ προλεπτύνειν καὶ τέμνειν τοὺϲ παχεῖϲ καὶ γλίϲχρουϲ χυμοὺϲ καὶ τοὺϲ πόρουϲ, δι᾿ ὧν οὗτοι μετα λαμβάνονταί τε καὶ ἕλκονται πρὸϲ τῶν καθαρτικῶν φαρμάκων, ἀναϲτομοῦν, εἰ ἡ κάθαρϲιϲ ἀρίϲτη μέλλοι γίνεϲθαι κατὰ πάντα, καὶ μάλιϲτα ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλλέβορον λαμβανόντων· ἡ γὰρ ϲυντονία τῶν ϲπαραγμῶν, ἐκβάλλουϲα τοὺϲ ἐϲφηνωμένουϲ δυϲλύτωϲ τοῖϲ πεπονθόϲι μέρεϲι χυμοὺϲ καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο τὰ χρόνια τῶν παθῶν ὠφελοῦϲα, ῥᾷον ἐργάϲεται τοῦτο, προλελεπτυϲμένων αὐτῶν.
It is necessary to thin beforehand and cut the thick and viscous humors, and to open up the passages through which these are transferred and drawn by the purgative drugs, if the purification is to turn out best in every way, and especially in the case of those taking hellebore; for the intensity of the spasms, by expelling the humors that are wedged in a way hard to dissolve in the affected parts, and thereby benefiting chronic diseases, will accomplish this more easily when they have been thinned beforehand.
§1.12τοῖϲ δ᾿ ἀμελήϲαϲι τούτων δυϲχερεῖϲ ἀπαντῶϲιν αἱ | καθάρϲειϲ μετὰ ϲτρόφων ἐνίοτε καί τινων ἰλίγγων ἄϲηϲ τε πολλῆϲ καὶ κακοϲφυξίαϲ ἐκλύϲεώϲ τε καὶ δυϲκολίαϲ.
But for those who neglect these things, purifications happen | with difficulty, sometimes with colic, some giddiness, much heartburn, irregular pulse, weakness, and discomfort.