§33.1Διὰ τί ὁ πταρμὸς λυγμὸν μὲν παύει, ἐρυγμὸν δὲ οὐ παύει;
Why is it that sneezing stops hiccups, but does not stop belching?
ἢ διότι οὐ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τόπου τὸ πάθος ἑκάτερον, ἀλλ’ ὁ μὲν ἐρυγμὸς κοιλίας, ὁ δὲ λυγμὸς τοῦ περὶ τὸν πνεύμονα κατάψυξις καὶ ἀπεψία πνεύματος καὶ ὑγροῦ;
Is it because the two affections do not belong to the same place, but belching is of the stomach, whereas hiccuping is a cooling of the region around the lungs and an indigestion of breath and moisture?
κοινωνοῦσιν δ’ οἱ περὶ τὸν ἐγκέφαλον τόποι τῷ πνεύμονι, οἷον τοῖς ὠσίν.
Now the regions around the brain have connection with the lungs, as for instance the ears.
φανερὸν δέ· ἅμα γὰρ ἐνεοὶ καὶ κωφοὶ γίνονται, καὶ αἱ νόσοι ἀντιπεριίστανται αἱ τοῦ ὠτὸς εἰς τὰ τοῦ πνεύμονος πάθη.
And this is clear; for people become mute and deaf at the same time, and diseases of the ear transfer into affections of the lungs.
ἐνίοις δὲ σκαλεύουσι τὸ οὖς βῆχες ἐγγίνονται.
And in some people, when they scrape their ear, coughing is produced.
τὸ δὲ περὶ τὸν πταρνύμενον τόπον εἶναι τῆς ῥινὸς κοινωνίαν τῷ πνεύμονι δηλοῖ ἡ ἀναπνοὴ κοινὴ οὖσα.
And that the region of the nose where one sneezes has a connection with the lungs is shown by their common respiration.
ὥστε πτάρνυται μὲν θερμαινομένου αὐτοῦ· τῷ δὲ συμπάσχειν ὁ κάτω τόπος, ἐν ᾧ ἐστὶν ὁ λυγμός.
Consequently, one sneezes when that part is warmed; and the lower region, in which the hiccup is, sympathizes.
ἡ δὲ θερμασία πέττει.
And the warmth digests.
διὸ ὄξος τε παύει λυγμὸν καὶ ἡ ἀπνευστία, ἐὰν ἠρεμαία ᾖ ἡ λύγξ.
Therefore both vinegar and holding the breath stop hiccups, if the hiccup is gentle.
ἐκθερμαίνει γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα κατεχόμενον, ὥστε καὶ ἐν τῷ πταρμῷ ἡ ἀντικατάσχεσις γενομένη τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καὶ οἰκείως ἡ ἔκπνευσις γίνεται, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἄνω τόπου· ἀδύνατον γὰρ πτάρειν μὴ ἐκπνέοντα.
For the breath, being held, warms thoroughly, so that the counter-holding of the breath that occurs in sneezing also does this, and the exhalation occurs naturally, and from the upper region; for it is impossible to sneeze without exhaling.
ἡ οὖν ὁρμὴ ῥήγνυσι τὸ ἐγκατειλημμένον πνεῦμα, ὃ ποιεῖ τὸν λυγμόν.
Therefore, the impulse breaks the trapped breath which causes the hiccup.
§33.2Διὰ τί, ἐάν τις μέλλων πτάρνυσθαι τρίψῃ τὸν ὀφθαλμόν, ἧττον πτάρνυται;
Why is it that, if one rubs one's eye when about to sneeze, one sneezes less?
ἢ διότι τὸ ποιοῦν τὸν πταρμὸν θερμότης τίς ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ τρῖψις θερμότητα ποιεῖ, ἣ διὰ τὸ πλησίον εἶναι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὸν τόπον ᾧ πτάρνυται, ἀφανίζει τὴν ἑτέραν, ὥσπερ τὸ ἔλαττον πῦρ ὑπὸ τοῦ πλείονος μαραινόμενον.
Is it because that which causes the sneeze is a certain heat, and rubbing produces heat, which, owing to the location where one sneezes being near the eyes, vanishes the other heat, just as a smaller fire is extinguished by a larger one?
§33.3Διὰ τί δὶς πτάρνυται ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ, καὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ ἢ πλεονάκις;
Why is it that one sneezes twice for the most part, and not once or more often?
ἢ διότι δύο εἰσὶ μυκτῆρες;
Is it because there are two nostrils?
ἑκάτερον οὖν διέσχισται τὸ φλέβιον, δι’ οὗ πνεῦμα ῥεῖ.
Therefore, each of the small veins through which the breath flows is divided into two.
§33.4Διὰ τί πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον βλέψαντες πτάρνυνται μᾶλλον;
Why do people sneeze more when they look at the sun?
ἢ διότι κινεῖ θερμαίνων· καθάπερ οὖν πτεροῖς θιγγάνοντες.
Is it because the sun moves things by warming them, just as those who touch with feathers do?
ἀμφότεροι γὰρ τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν· τῇ γὰρ κινήσει θερμαίνοντες ἐκ τοῦ ὑγροῦ θᾶττον πνεῦμα ποιοῦσιν.
For both do the same thing; by warming through movement, they more quickly produce breath from the moisture.
τούτου δὲ ἡ ἔξοδος πταρμός.
And the exit of this breath is a sneeze.
§33.5Διὰ τί λύγγα παύει πταρμὸς καὶ πνεύματος ἐπίσχεσις καὶ ὄξος;
Why is it that sneezing, holding the breath, and vinegar stop hiccups?
ἢ ὁ μὲν πταρμός, ὅτι ἀντιπερίστασίς ἐστι τοῦ κάτω πνεύματος, ὥσπερ αἱ ἄνω φαρμακεῖαι πρὸς τὴν κάτω κοιλίαν;
Is it because sneezing is a counter-pressure of the lower breath, just as upper purges affect the lower stomach?
ἡ δὲ ἀπνευστία τὰς ἀσθενεῖς λύγγας, ὅτι ἡ μικρὰ ὁρμὴ τοῦ πνεύματος ἡ ἀνιοῦσα, ὥσπερ περὶ τὴν βῆχα, ἐάν τις κατάσχῃ, παύεται, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ κατέσπασε καὶ κατέπνιξε καὶ συναπεβιάσατο.
And does holding the breath stop weak hiccups because the small impulse of the rising breath, just as in the case of a cough if one holds it, is stopped, so here too it is drawn down, choked, and forcibly suppressed together?
τὸ δὲ ὄξος παύει, ὅτι τὸ περιεστὸς ὑγρὸν καὶ κωλῦον ἀπερυγεῖν ἐπνευμάτωσεν τῇ θερμασίᾳ.
And vinegar stops them because, by its heat, it vaporizes the surrounding moisture which prevents belching.
ἔστι γὰρ ἐρυγμὸς μέν, ὅταν πνευματωθῇ τὸ ἐν τῇ ἄνω κοιλίᾳ ὑγρὸν καὶ πεφθῇ, ἡ δὲ λύγξ, ὅταν ὑπὸ ὑγροῦ κατέχηται πνεῦμα περιττὸν περὶ τὸν πνευματικὸν τόπον.
For belching occurs when the moisture in the upper stomach is vaporized and digested, whereas the hiccup occurs when excess breath is held back by moisture around the respiratory region.
τοῦτο γὰρ ὁρμῶν καὶ μὴ δυνάμενον διακόψαι σπασμὸν ποιεῖ, ὁ δὲ σπασμὸς οὗτος καλεῖται λύγξ.
For this breath, rushing and being unable to break through, causes a spasm, and this spasm is called a hiccup.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ῥιγώσαντας λὺγξ λαμβάνει, ὅτι τὸ ψῦχος τὸ ὑγρὸν ποιεῖ συστὰν ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος ἔτι· περιλαμβανόμενον δὲ τὸ ἄλλο πηδᾷ· οὗ ἡ κίνησις λυγμός ἐστιν.
And for this reason, those who are chilled get hiccups, because the cold causes the moisture to condense further from the breath, and the rest being enclosed leaps; the movement of which is the hiccup.
§33.6Διὰ τί ἐνίοις ὕδωρ ψυχρὸν προσχέομεν καὶ πρὸς τὸ πρόσωπον, ἡνίκα αἷμα ῥεῖ ἐκ τῶν μυκτήρων;
Why is it that we pour cold water also on the face of some people when blood is flowing from their nostrils?
ἢ ἀντιπεριίσταται εἴσω τὸ θερμόν;
Is it because the heat retreats inwards?
ἂν οὖν ἐπιπολῆς τύχῃ αἷμα, ἐξυγραίνει μᾶλλον.
If, therefore, the blood happens to be on the surface, it would liquefy it more.
§33.7Διὰ τί τὸν μὲν πταρμὸν θεὸν ἡγούμεθα εἶναι, τὴν δὲ βῆχα ἢ τὴν κόρυζαν οὔ;
Why is it that we consider sneezing to be divine, but not coughing or a running nose?
ἢ διότι ἐκ τοῦ θειοτάτου τῶν περὶ ἡμᾶς τῆς κεφαλῆς, ὅθεν ὁ λογισμός ἐστι, γίνεται;
Is it because it arises from the head, which is the most divine part of us, where reasoning is located?
ἢ ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἀπὸ νοσούντων γίνεται, τοῦτο δὲ οὔ;
Or is it because the other things arise from those who are diseased, but this does not?