§1.13τοῦ μέλλοντοϲ δ᾿ ἐλλέβορον λήψεϲθαι προπειρᾶϲθαι χρὴ τῆϲ φύϲεωϲ, ὅπωϲ ἔχει πρὸϲ τὰϲ ἄνω καθάρϲειϲ, τουτέϲτι τὰϲ δι᾿ ἐμέτων.
For the person who is going to take hellebore, it is necessary to test beforehand their nature, how it stands in relation to evacuations upward, that is, those by vomiting.
§1.14γινέϲθω δ᾿ ἡ πεῖρά ϲοι διὰ τῶν ἐμετικῶν φαρμάκων ὅϲα μέτρια· ἐὰν γὰρ φαίνηται μὴ ῥᾳδίωϲ καθαιρόμενοϲ, οὐ χρὴ τὸν τοιοῦτον ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τὸν ἐλλέβορον ἄγειν ἄνευ τοῦ προπαραϲκευάϲαι.
And let your test be done by means of such emetic drugs as are moderate; for if they appear not to be easily purified, one should not lead such a person to hellebore without beforehand preparing them.
γένοιτο δ᾿ ἂν τὸ τοιοῦτο καὶ δι᾿ αὐτῶν μὲν τῶν ϲυνεχών ἐμέτων, ἐθιϲθέντοϲ ἑτοίμωϲ ἐμεῖν τοῦ ληψομένου τὸν ἐλλέβορον· γένοιτο δ᾿ ἂν ἄμεινον καὶ διὰ τοῦ προϋγρᾶναι τὰ ϲώματα, προϋγραίνεται δὲ πλείονι τροφῇ καὶ ἀναπαύϲει.
This preparation could happen even by means of the continuous vomitings themselves, as the one who is to take hellebore is accustomed to vomit easily; but it would happen better also by pre-moistening the bodies, and they are pre-moistened by more food and rest.
§1.15τὸ μὲν οὖν τῆϲ ἀναπαύϲεωϲ δῆλον· ὡϲ γὰρ τὰ γυμνάϲια ξηραίνειν πέφυκεν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἀνάπαυϲιϲ, ὅπερ ἐϲτὶν ἡϲυχία τε καὶ ἀγυμναϲία, φυλάττει τὰϲ ὑγρότηταϲ· τροφὴ δ᾿ οὐχ ἁπλῶϲ ἡ | πλείων ὑγραίνειν πέφυκεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἥτιϲ ἄνευ ποιότητοϲ ἰϲχυρᾶϲ ᾖ, τουτέϲτι μήτε ϲτρυφνὴ μήτε δριμεῖα μήτε ἁλυκὴ μήτε πικρά.
Now, the matter of rest is clear; for just as exercise naturally dries, so rest, which is quiet and lack of exercise, preserves the moisture; and food does not naturally moisten simply by being | more, but that which is without strong quality, that is, neither astringent nor pungent, nor salty nor bitter.
§1.16δεδώκαμεν δ᾿ ἐνίοτε ῥαφανῖδαϲ δι᾿ ὀξυμέλιτοϲ, πήξαντεϲ αὐταῖϲ δι᾿ ὅληϲ ἡμέραϲ καὶ νυκτὸϲ ἐλλεβόρου κλῶναϲ λευκοῦ.
And we have sometimes given radishes with oxymel, having fixed twigs of white hellebore into them for a whole day and night.
καὶ εἴη ἂν ἀϲθενὴϲ ἀπ᾿ ἐλλεβόρου κάθαρϲιϲ ἡ τοιαύτη.
And such a purification from hellebore would be a mild one.
§1.17οἱ δὲ ϲτενὸν ἔχοντεϲ τὸν θώρακα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν πνεύμονα ϲυντεθλιμμένον ἀνεπιτηδειότατοι τυγχάνουϲιν εἰϲ τὰϲ ἐμετικῶν φαρμάκων καθάρϲειϲ τάϲ τε ἄλλαϲ καὶ μάλιϲτα τὴν δι᾿ ἐλλεβόρου τοῦ λευκοῦ· ῥήγνυται γὰρ αὐτοῖϲ ἀγγεῖόν τι τῶν ἐν τοῖϲ ἀναπνευϲτικοῖϲ ὀργάνοιϲ.
But those who have a narrow chest and because of this also have their lung compressed are the most unsuitable for evacuations by emetic drugs, both others and especially that by white hellebore; for a certain vessel of those in the respiratory organs is ruptured in them.
§1.18χρὴ δὲ καὶ τὸν μὲν πικρόχολον χυμὸν ἄνω, τὸ δὲ φλέγμα κάτω μᾶλλον κενοῦν· ἔϲθ᾿ ὅτε μὴν ἔμπολιν, εἰ κατὰ μὲν τὴν γαϲτέρα φλεγματικόϲ, ἐν δὲ τοῖϲ ἐντέροιϲ πικρόχολοϲ ἀθροιϲθείη, τὸν μέντοι μελαγχολικὸν αἰεὶ κάτω.
It is necessary also to evacuate bilious humor upward, but phlegm rather downward; sometimes, however, the reverse is done, if the person should be phlegmatic in the stomach, but bilious humor should be accumulated in the intestines; however, melancholic humor always downward.
§1.19γέγραπται δὲ κατὰ τοὺϲ Ἀφοριϲμοὺϲ Ἱπποκράτει | περὶ τῶν ὡρῶν· ‘θέρεοϲ φαρμακεύειν τὰϲ ἄνω, χειμῶνοϲ τὰϲ κάτω. ’ §1.20τὸ δ᾿ ἀνάλογον ταῖϲ ὥραιϲ ἐπὶ τῶν χωρῶν ϲκοπεῖϲθαι χρὴ θερμότητί τε καὶ ψυχρότητι διαιρουμένουϲ· οὕτωϲ δὲ κἀπὶ τῶν ἡλικιῶν.
And it has been written by Hippocrates in the Aphorisms | concerning the seasons: 'In summer purge upward, in winter downward.' And one must consider what is analogous to the seasons in the case of regions, dividing them by heat and cold; and in this way also in the case of ages.
§1.21καὶ μὴν καὶ τὸ ἔθοϲ οὐ ϲμικρὰ μοῖρα πρὸϲ ἔνδειξιν κενώϲεωϲ· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐμεῖν εἰθιϲμένοι φέρουϲιν ἀλυπότερον τὰϲ διὰ τῆϲ ἄνω κοιλίαϲ καθάρϲειϲ· οἱ δ᾿ ἀήθειϲ οὐκ ἄνευ κινδύνου, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπ᾿ ἐλλεβόρου.
¦15 And indeed, habit is no small part for the indication of evacuation; ¦21 for those accustomed to vomit bear evacuations through the upper cavity with less pain; but those unaccustomed to it do so not without danger, and more so in the case of hellebore.
§1.22καὶ τὸ τοῦ νοϲήματοϲ δ᾿ εἶδοϲ ϲκοπεῖϲθαι προϲῆκεν· ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ λευκοφλεγματίου ὑδέρου φλέγματοϲ ἀγωγῷ χρηϲόμεθα φαρμάκῳ, πρότερον μὲν διὰ τῆϲ κάτω γαϲτρόϲ, εἶτα δι᾿ ἐμέτων, εἶτα δι᾿ ἀποφλεγματιϲμῶν· δι᾿ ὅλου γὰρ τοῦ ϲώματοϲ ἐκτεταμένου τοῦ πλεονάζοντοϲ, ἁπάϲαϲ κενώϲειϲ παραληψόμεθα.
And it is proper also to consider the kind of disease; ¦22 for in the case of leucophlegmatic dropsy, we shall use a drug that draws ¦20 phlegm, first through the lower cavity, then by vomiting, then by apophlegmatisms; for since the excess is extended throughout the whole body, we shall employ all evacuations.
§1.23ἀϲκίτου δ᾿ ὄντοϲ τοῦ ὑδέρου, τῶν ὑδραγωγῶν τι δώϲομεν φαρμάκων, ὥϲπερ | γε κἀπὶ τῶν ἰκτερικῶν τῶν χολαγωγῶν· ἐκκαθαίρειν γὰρ χρὴ καὶ τούτων πολυειδῶϲ τὴν χολὴν ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω καὶ δἰ οὔρων καὶ δι᾿ ὑπερῴαϲ καὶ διὰ ῥινῶν.
And when the dropsy is ¦23 ascites, we shall give some of the water-drawing drugs, just as | ¦80 indeed we also give bile-drawing drugs in the case of jaundice; for it is necessary to thoroughly purge the ¦25 bile in them too in many ways, both upward and downward, and through urine, and through the palate, and through the nostrils.
§1.24οὕτωϲ δὲ κἂν ὁ μελαγχολικὸϲ πλεονάϲῃ χυμόϲ, ὡϲ ἐν μελαγχολίᾳ καὶ καρκίνῳ καὶ ἐλέφαντι, τὸ τῆϲ μελαίνηϲ χολῆϲ κενωτικὸν φάρμακον δίδομεν· ἐπιληψίαν δὲ φλεγμαγωγοῖϲ καθαίρομεν, ἐξ ὧν δῆλον ὡϲ ἡ κατάϲταϲιϲ τῆϲ νόϲου καὶ τὸν κενωθηϲόμενον δηλοῖ χυμὸν καὶ τὸν τόπον, δι᾿ οὗ χρὴ κενοῦν αὐτόν.
In this way also, if the melancholic humor should exceed, as in melancholy, ¦24 cancer, and elephantiasis, we give the drug that evacuates black bile; and we purge epilepsy with phlegm-drawing drugs, from which it is clear that the condition of the disease indicates both the humor to be evacuated ¦30 and the place through which one must evacuate it.