§9.6Πότερον ὅσα τοῦ αὐτοῦ αἴτια τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει δύναμιν εἰς τὸ ποιεῖν, ἢ οὔ;
Πότερον Whether all things that cause the same effect have the same capacity to produce it, or not?
λέγω δὲ οἷον ἐπεὶ τὰ ὑπώπια καὶ ὁ χαλκὸς ἐξαίρει καὶ ἡ ῥαφανὶς καὶ ὁ κύαμος διαμασώμενος καὶ ὁ πνεύμων καὶ ἡ ἄργιλος καὶ ἕτερ’ ἄττα, τῇ αὐτῇ δυνάμει, ἢ ὁ μὲν χαλκὸς τῷ ἰὸν εἶναι, τὸν δὲ ἰὸν φαρμακώδη, ὁ δὲ κύαμος καὶ ὁ πνεύμων καὶ ἡ ἄργιλος τῷ ἐπισπᾶν ἐφ’ αὑτὰ διὰ μανότητα, ἄλλα δὲ δι’ ἑτέρας αἰτίας;
I mean, for instance, since both bronze, radish, chewed beans, lung, clay, and certain other things remove bruises, do they do so by the same capacity? Or does bronze do so by having verdigris, and verdigris is medicinal, while beans, lung, and clay do so by drawing to themselves because of their porousness, and other things due to other causes?
ἢ τὸ μὲν ἔσχατον ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν τοιούτων ταὐτό (πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἐναντία τούτοις, καθάπερ καὶ τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρόν), τὰ δὲ πρὸ τούτων οὐδὲν κωλύει ἕτερα.
Or is the ultimate effect in all such cases the same (for there are many, even contrary, things relative to these, just as the hot and the cold), but there is nothing to prevent the causes prior to these from being different?
§9.7Διὰ τί αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι οὐλαὶ μέλαιναι γίνονται, αἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ λευκαί;
Διὰ τί Why do the other scars become black, but those in the eye white?
ἢ διότι μεταβάλλουσιν ἐν ᾧ ἂν ὦσι πρός τὰς χροιάς, ἐν δὲ τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ μέλανι ὄντι γίνονται, ὥστε ἀνάγκη λευκὰς γίνεσθαι.
Or because they change towards the opposite of the colors in which they are, and since they occur in the eye which is black, they must of necessity become white?
§9.8Διὰ τί ἀλγεινοτέρα ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ νάρθηκος ἢ ἐνίων σκληροτέρων, ἐάν τις κατὰ λόγον σκοπῇ τύπτων;
Διὰ τί Why is the blow of a giant fennel stalk more painful than that of some harder things, if one considers it reasonably when striking?
εὐλογώτερον γὰρ τὴν τοῦ σκληροτέρου εἶναι ἀλγεινοτέραν μᾶλλον γὰρ τύπτει.
For it is more reasonable that the blow of a harder thing should be more painful, for it strikes harder.
ἢ ὅτι ἡ σὰρξ ἀλγεῖ οὐ μόνον τυπτομένη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τύπτουσα;
Or is it because the flesh feels pain not only when being struck, but also when striking?
ὑπὸ μὲν οὖν τῶν σκληρῶν τύπτεται μόνον (ὑπείκει γὰρ διὰ τὴν σκληρότητα αὐτῶν), ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ νάρθηκος ἄμφω αὐτῇ συμβαίνει, τύπτεσθαί τε καὶ διὰ κουφότητα τοῦ βάρους τύπτειν μὴ εἴκουσαν, ὥστε διπλασία γίνεται ἡ πληγή.
Now, by hard objects it is only struck (for it yields because of their hardness), but by the giant fennel stalk both happen to it: it is struck, and because of the lightness of the weight, it strikes, not yielding, so that the blow becomes double.
§9.9Διὰ τί ἡ θαψία καὶ ὁ κύαθος τὰ ὑπώπια παύει, ἡ μὲν ἀρχόμενα, ὁ δὲ ὕστερον, ἐναντία ὄντα;
Διὰ τί Why do thapsia and the bronze cup stop bruises, the former when they are beginning, the latter later, being contrary in nature?
ὁ μὲν γὰρ κύαθος ψυχρος, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ ποιντής φησι
ψυχρὸν δ’ ἕλε χαλκὸν ὀδοῦσιν
, ἡ δὲ θαψία θερμὸν καὶ καυστικόν.
For the cup is cold, just as the poet says, "and he bit the cold bronze with his teeth," but thapsia is hot and burning.
ἢ ὁ μὲν κύαθος ὥσπερ τοῖς μικροψυχοῦσι τὸ ὕδωρ;
Or does the cup act like water to those who faint?
ἀπαντῶσα γὰρ ἡ ψύξις κωλύει ἐξιέναι τὸ θερμὸν ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος ἐξ ἐπιπολῆς διὰ τὴν πληγὴν συνδραμόντος, καὶ ὅταν ἐξέλθῃ τὸ θερμόν, πηγνυμένου.
For the cooling, meeting it, prevents the heat from escaping from the blood which has run together on the surface because of the blow, which, when the heat escapes, coagulates.
ὥσπερ γὰρ ἂν εἰ ἔξω ὄν πήγνυται, καὶ ἐγγὺς τοῦ ἔξω τὸ αἷμα, ὅταν ᾖ ὑπὸ τὸ δέρμα, κωλυθέντος διεξιέναι τοῦ θερμοῦ, διὰ τὴν ψυχρότητα τοῦ χαλκοῦ 〈οὐ〉 πήγνυται, ἀλλὰ πάλιν διαχεῖται καὶ ἐπανέρχεται ὅθεν συνέδραμεν.
For just as if it were outside it coagulates, so the blood, when it is under the skin, being close to the outside, when the heat is prevented from passing through, because of the coldness of the bronze, does 〈not〉 coagulate, but is dispersed again and returns to where it ran together.
ἡ δὲ θαψία θερμὴ οὖσα τὸ αὐτὸ ποιεῖ· κωλύει γὰρ πήγνυσθαι θερμὴ οὖσα.
And thapsia, being hot, does the same; for being hot, it prevents coagulation.
§9.10Διὰ τί τὰ ὑπώπια διαλύεται προσέχουσιν τὰ χαλκᾶ, οἷον κυάθους καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα;
Διὰ τί Why are bruises dispersed when people apply bronze objects, such as cups and the like?
ἢ διότι ψυχρὸν ὁ χαλκός ἐστιν;
Or because bronze is cold?
κωλύει οὖν τὸ θερμὸν ἐξιέναι ἐκ τοῦ συνιόντος αἵματος ὑπὸ τῆς πληγῆς, οὗ ἐξελθόντος ἐκ τοῦ ἐπιπολῆς γίνεται ὑπώπιον.
It therefore prevents the heat from escaping from the blood that is gathering because of the blow, which, when it escapes from the surface, becomes a bruise.
διὸ καὶ ταχὺ δεῖ προστιθέναι πρὶν παγῆναι.
Therefore also one must apply it quickly before it coagulates.
καὶ ἡ θαψία δὲ μετὰ μέλιτος βοηθεῖ διὰ τὸ αὐτό· θερμὴ γὰρ οὖσα κωλύει ψύχεσθαι τὸ αἷμα.
And thapsia with honey also helps for the same reason; for being hot, it prevents the blood from cooling.
§9.11Διὰ τί ποτε, ὅταν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τόπῳ πλεονάκις ἕλκος γένηται, ἡ οὐλὴ μέλαινα γίνεται;
Διὰ τί Why on earth, when a wound occurs many times in the same place, does the scar become black?
ἢ ὁπόταν γένηται ἕλκος, πᾶν ἀσθενές ἐστιν τοῦτο, καὶ ὅσῳ ἂν πλεονάκις, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον·
Or is it because, whenever a wound occurs, this whole part is weak, and the more often, the more so?
τὸ δὲ ἀσθενὲς κατεψυγμένον καὶ ὑγρότητος πλῆρες;
And is the weak part chilled and full of moisture?
διὸ καὶ μέλαν φαίνεται, εἰ τὰ μεγάλα ἕλκη καὶ πολυχρόνια μελαίνας τὰς οὐλὰς ἴσχει.
Therefore it also appears black, just as large and long-lasting wounds have black scars.
τὸ δὲ πολλάκις λαβεῖν ἕλκος οὐδὲν ἀλλ’ ἢ πολὺν χρόνον ἔχειν ἐστὶν ἕλκος.
And to receive a wound many times is nothing other than to have a wound for a long time.
§9.12Διὰ τί ποτε πρὸς τὰ ὑπώπια τοὺς κυάθους προστιθέμμεθα;
Διὰ τί Why on earth do we apply cups to bruises?
ἢ διότι, ὅταν πληγῶμεν, ὁ τόπος καταψύχεται, τὸ δὲ θερμὸν ὑποχωρεῖ.
Or because, when we are struck, the place is chilled, and the heat withdraws?
προστιθέμενος οὖν ὁ κύαθος, ψυχροῦ ὄντος τοῦ χαλκοῦ, διακωλύει τὸ θερμὸν ἐκπορεύεσθαι.
Therefore, the cup being applied, since the bronze is cold, prevents the heat from departing.
§9.13Διὰ τί ἐν ταῖς οὐλαῖς οὐ γίνονται τρίχες;
Διὰ τί Why do hairs not grow in scars?
ἢ ὅτι οἱ πόροι ἐπιτυφλοῦνται ἐξ ὧν αἱ τρίχες, καὶ παραλλάττουσιν;
Or is it because the pores from which the hairs grow are blocked up and shift their position?
§9.14Διὰ τί οἴδημα καὶ πελιώματα λαμβάνουσιν αἱ πληγαί;
Διὰ τί Why do blows receive swelling and livid spots?
ἢ διότι κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν τόπον διασταλέντα τὰ ὑγρά, εἰς τοὺς πλησίον τόπους προσκόψαντα ἀποπάλλεται πάλιν καὶ τῇ κολλήσει τῶν ὑγρῶν συνήγαγεν;
Or because the fluids, having been dispersed in this place, and having dashed against the neighboring places, are repelled back again and gathered by the cohesion of the fluids?
ἐὰν δὲ καὶ φλέβιά τινα ῥαγῇ, ὕφαιμος ἡ συνδρομὴ γίνεται.
And if some small veins are ruptured, the gathering becomes bloodshot.