§1#2. ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸ προειπεῖν τοῖς οἰκείοις τοῦ κάμνοντος, εἰ μέν μὴ πίοι ψυχροῦ, τεθνήξεσθαι πάντως τὸν ἄνθρωπον, εἰ δὲ πίοι, πολλὰς ἐλπίδας ἕξειν σωτηρίας, οὕτως ἔδωκα καὶ σὺν θεῷ φάναι πάντες ἐσώθησαν οἱ λαβόντες.
But after telling the relatives of the sick person beforehand that, on the one hand, if he did not drink cold drink, the man would certainly die, but on the other hand, if he drank it, he would have many hopes of recovery, I thus gave it, and, so to speak, with god's help, all who took it were saved.
ὥστε πολυχρονίῳ πείρᾳ κεκριμένου τοῦ βοηθήματος ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς αἰτίας ζήτησιν ἰτέον ἀναμνήσαντας πρότερον ὦν ἔγραψαν ὁ μὲν Ἱπποκράτης ἐν τῷ περὶ διαίτης ὀξέων, ὁ δ’ Ἐρασίστρατος ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ περὶ παραλύσεως. ἡ μὲν οὖν Ἱπποκράτους ῥῆσις οὕτως ἔχει·
Therefore, since this remedy has been tested by long experience, we must proceed to the investigation of the cause, having first recalled what Hippocrates wrote in his *On Regimen in Acute Diseases* and Erasistratus in the second book of his *On Paralysis*.
,,ἀλλὰ μὴν εὐκαταμάθητόν γε ἐστίν, ὅτι φαύλη δίαιτα βρώσιός τε καὶ πόσιος αὐτὴ ἑωυτῇ ἐμφερὴς αἰεὶ ἀσφαλεστέρη ἐστὶ τὸ ἐπίπαν ἐς ὑγείην ἢ εἴ τις ἐξαπίνης μέγα μεταβάλλοι ἐς ἄλλο κρεῖσσον, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῖσι δὶς σιτεομένοισι τῆς ἡμέρης καὶ τοῖσι μονοσιτέουσιν αἱ ἐξαπίναιοι μεταβολαὶ βλάβας καὶ ἀρρωστίην παρέχουσι.
Now, the passage of Hippocrates runs as follows: 'Yet indeed it is easily understood that a simple regimen of food and drink, if it is always consistent with itself, is generally safer for health than if one should suddenly make a great change to another better one; since sudden changes bring harm and sickness both to those who eat twice a day and to those who eat once.
καὶ τοὺς μέν γε μὴ μεμαθηκότας ἀριστᾶν, ἢν ἀριστήσωσιν, εὐθέως ἀρρώστους ποιέει καὶ βαρέας ὅλον τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἀσθενέας καὶ ὀκνηρούς· ἢν δὲ καὶ ἐπιδειπνήσωσιν, ὀξυρεγμιώδεας· ἐνίοισι δὲ ἂν καὶ σπατίλη γένοιτο, ὁκόταν παρὰ τὸ ἔθος ἠχθοφορήκῃ ἡ κοιλίη εἰθισμένη ἐπιξηραίνεσθαι καὶ μὴ δὶς διογκοῦσθαι μηδὲ δὶς ἕψειν τὰ σιτία“. εἶτα μεταξὺ παρενθεὶς ὅπως ἂν τις τὴν βλάβην τούτων ἰάσαιτο, συνάπτων αὖθις ὑπὲρ τῶν παραβάντων τὸ ἔθος οὕτω γράφει· ,,ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον ἂν πονήσειεν ὁ τοιοῦτος, εἰ τρὶς σιτέοιτο τῆς ἡμέρης ἐς κόρον, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον, εἰ πλεονάκις· καίτοι γε πολλοί εἰσιν, οἳ εὐφόρως φέρουσι τρὶς σιτεόμενοι τῆς ἡμέρης ἐς πλῆθος, οἳ ἂν οὕτως ἐθισθῶσιν.
And those who are not accustomed to dine, if they do dine, it immediately makes them sick and heavy in the whole body, and weak and sluggish; and if they also eat supper in addition, it makes them suffer from acid eructations; and in some, loose stools would occur, whenever the stomach, accustomed to being dried out and not to being twice distended nor twice digesting food, is burdened contrary to habit.' Then, after inserting in between how one might cure the harm of these, connecting again regarding those who transgress habit, he writes thus: 'And such a person would suffer even more if he should eat three times a day to satiety, and still more if more frequently; and yet there are many who easily bear eating three times a day to fullness, if they are so accustomed.
ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ οἱ δὶς μεμαθηκότες σιτέεσθαι τῆς ἡμέρης, ἢν μὴ ἀριστήσωσιν, ἀσθενέες τε καὶ ἄρρωστοί εἰσι καὶ δειλοὶ ἐς πᾶν ἔργον καὶ καρδιαλγέες.
Yet indeed, those who are accustomed to eat twice a day, if they do not dine, are weak and sick and cowardly in every work, and suffer from heartburn.
κρέμασθαι γὰρ τὰ σπλάγχνα δοκέει αὐτέοισι καὶ οὐρέουσι θερμὸν καὶ χλωρὸν καὶ ἡ ἄφοδος ξυγκαίεται· ἔστι δὲ οἷσι καὶ τὸ στόμα πικραίνεται καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ κοιλαίνονται καὶ οἱ κρόταφοι πάλλονται καὶ τὰ ἄκρα διαψύχονται· καὶ οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι τῶν ἀνηριστηκότων οὐ δύνανται κατεσθίειν τὸ δεῖπνον· δειπνήσαντες δὲ βαρύνουσι τὴν κοιλίην καὶ δυσκοιτέουσι πολὺ μᾶλλον ἢ εἰ καὶ προηριστήκεσαν.
For their viscera seem to them to hang down, and they pass hot and green urine, and their stool is dried up; and in some the mouth becomes bitter, the eyes become hollow, the temples throb, and the extremities grow cold; and most of those who have not dined cannot consume their supper; and having supped, they burden their stomach and have a much more difficult sleep than if they had also dined beforehand.
ὁκότε οὖν τὰ τοιαῦτα τοῖς ὑγιαίνουσι γίγνεται εἵνεκα ἡμίσεος ἡμέρης διαίτης μεταβολῆς παρὰ τὸ ἔθος, οὔτε προσθεῖναι λυσιτελὲς φαίνεται οὔτε ἀφελέειν.
Since, then, such things happen to healthy people because of a half-day's change of regimen contrary to habit, it appears neither beneficial to add nor to subtract.
εἰ τοίνυν οὗτος ὁ παρὰ τὸ ἔθος μονοσιτήσας ὅλην τὴν ἡμέρην κενεαγγήσας δειπνήσειεν, ὁκόσον εἴθιστο, εἰκὸς αὐτόν, εἰ τότε ἀνάριστος ἐὼν ἐπόνεε καὶ ἠρρώστει, δειπνήσας δὲ τότε βαρὺς ἢν, πολὺ μᾶλλον βαρύνεσθαι· εἰ δέ γε ἐπὶ πλείονα χρόνον κενεαγγήσας ἐξαπίνης μεταδειπνήσειεν, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἂν βαρύνοιτο“. Μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ πάλιν ὁ Ἱπποκράτης, ὥσπερ καὶ πρόσθεν, ἐπανορθώσεις τινὰς τῆς γινομένης βλάβης ἐπὶ τοῖς κενεαγγήσασι παρὰ τὸ ἔθος γράψας ἐφεξῆς πάλιν οὕτω φησί· ,,πολλὰ δὲ ἄν τις ἠδελφισμένα τουτέοισι τῶν ἐς κοιλίην καὶ ἄλλα εἴποι, ὡς εὐφόρως μὲν φέρουσι τὰ βρώματα, ἃ εἰθίδαται, ἢν καὶ μὴ ἀγαθὰ ᾖ φύσει, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὰ ποτά· δυσφόρως δὲ φέρουσι τὰ βρώματα, ἃ μὴ εἰθίδαται, καὶ ἢν μὴ κακὰ ᾖ, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὰ ποτά.
If, therefore, this person who has eaten once contrary to habit, having kept his vessels empty the whole day, should sup as much as he was accustomed, it is likely that, if when he was without dinner he was suffering and sick, and having supped then he was heavy, he would be much more burdened; and if, having kept his vessels empty for a longer time, he should suddenly change and eat supper, he would be even more burdened.' After this, Hippocrates again, just as before, having written some corrections of the harm that occurs to those who have emptied their vessels contrary to habit, says next again as follows: 'And one might say many other things brother to these regarding the stomach, how they easily bear the foods which they are accustomed to, even if they are not good by nature, and likewise the drinks; but they bear with difficulty the foods which they are not accustomed to, even if they are not bad, and likewise the drinks.
καὶ ὅσα μὲν κρεηφαγίη πολλὴ παρὰ τὸ ἔθος βρωθεῖσα ποιέει ἢ σκόροδα ἢ σίλφιον ἢ ὀπὸς ἢ καυλὸς ἢ ἄλλα ὅσα τοιουτότροπα μεγάλας δυνάμιας ἔχοντα ἰδίας, ἧσσον ἄν τις θαυμάσειεν, εἰ τὰ τοιαῦτα πόνους ἐμποιέει τῇσι κοιλίῃσι μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων· ἀλλὰ εἰ καταμάθοις, ὅσον μᾶζα ὄχλον καὶ ὄγκον καὶ στρόφον καὶ φῦσαν τῇ κοιλίῃ παρέχει παρὰ τὸ ἔθος βρωθεῖσα τῷ ἀρτοφαγέειν εἰθισμένῳ ἢ οἷον ἄρτος βάρος καὶ τάσιν κοιλίης τῷ μαζοφαγέειν εἰθισμένῳ ἢ αὐτός γε ὁ ἄρτος θερμὸς βρωθεὶς οἵην δίψην παρέχει καὶ ἐξαπιναίην πληθώρην διὰ τὸ ξηραντικόν τε καὶ βραδύπορον· καὶ οἱ ἄγαν καθαροί τε καὶ ξυγκομιστοὶ παρὰ τὸ ἔθος βρωθέντες οἷα διαφέροντα ἀλλήλων ποιέουσι· καὶ μᾶζά γε ξηρὴ παρὰ τὸ ἔθος ἢ ὑγρὴ ἢ γλίσχρη· καὶ τὰ ἄλφιτα οἷόν τι ποιέει τὰ ποταίνια τοῖσι μὴ εἰωθόσι καὶ τὰ ἑτεροῖα τοῖσι τὰ ποταίνια εἰωθόσι καὶ οἰνοποσίη καὶ ὑδροποσίη παρὰ τὸ ἔθος ἐς θάτερα μεταβληθέντα ἐξαπίνης, καὶ ὑδαρής τε οἶνος καὶ ἄκρητος ἐξαπίνης ποθείς· ὁ μὲν γὰρ πλάδον τε ἐν τῇ ἄνω κοιλίῃ ἐμποιήσει καὶ φῦσαν ἐν τῇ κάτω, ὁ δὲ παλμόν τε φλεβῶν καὶ καρηβαρίην καὶ δίψην· καὶ λευκός τε καὶ μέλας οἶνος παρὰ τὸ ἔθος μεταβάλλουσιν, εἰ καὶ ἄμφω οἰνώδεες εἶεν, ὅμως πολλὰ ἂν ἑτεροιώσειαν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα, ὡς δὴ γλυκύν τε καὶ οἰνώδεα ᾖσσον ἄν τις φαίη θαυμαστὸν εἶναι μὴ τωὐτὸ δύνασθαι ἐξαπίνης μεταβληθέντα“.
And as for what a great consumption of meat eaten contrary to habit produces, or garlic, or silphium, or its juice, or stalk, or other such things having great special powers, one would be less surprised if such things produce pains in the stomachs more than others; but if you observe how much trouble, swelling, colic, and wind maza brings to the stomach when eaten contrary to habit by one accustomed to eating bread, or what weight and tension of the stomach bread brings to one accustomed to eating maza, or how much thirst and sudden fullness bread itself, eaten hot, produces due to its drying and slow-passing nature; and how those breads that are very refined and those made of unrefined flour, when eaten contrary to habit, produce effects so different from each other; and indeed dry maza contrary to habit, or wet, or sticky; and what fresh barley-meal produces in those unaccustomed to it, and the other kind in those accustomed to the fresh; and wine-drinking and water-drinking changed suddenly to the other contrary to habit, and watery wine and unmixed wine drunk suddenly; for the one will produce sloshing in the upper stomach and wind in the lower, and the other throbbing of the veins, headache, and thirst; and white and black wine changed contrary to habit, even if both are wine-like, nevertheless would alter many things in the body, so indeed one would say it is less surprising that sweet and wine-like wine, changed suddenly, do not have the same power.'