§1.6Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἄγαν διορίσαι χαλεπὸν, αἱ δὲ θεραπεῖαι δόξαιεν ἂν ἐναντίαι πως εἶναι καὶ τῶν παθῶν καὶ ἑαυταῖς, οἷον ἥ τε καθυγραίνουσα καὶ λουτροῖς καὶ ποτοῖς εἴπερ ἐν ὑγρότητι καὶ συντήξει τὸ πάθος καὶ ἡ τῷ κόπῳ λύουσα τὸν κόπον κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν.
Now, it is extremely difficult to distinguish these things precisely, but the treatments might seem to be in some way opposite both to the conditions and to themselves; for instance, the treatment that moistens with baths and drinks, if indeed the condition lies in moisture and waste matter, and the one that, according to the proverb, 'dissolves fatigue by fatigue.' But they are not opposite.
Οὐκ εἰσὶ δʼ ἐναντίαι· καὶ γὰρ μαλάξεως δεῖται τὸ κατάξηρον καὶ συντετηγμένον καὶ πλείοσι τύποις ἔκκρισιν ἐποίησε τοῦ λυποῦντος καὶ κατὰ σάρκα καὶ κατὰ κύστιν· ἥ τε κίνησις καὶ ὁ πόνος ἅπαν ἐξήρανε τὸ σύντηγμα καὶ ἐξέπεψε.
For that which is dried up and melted needs softening, and it produces the excretion of the painful matter in multiple ways both through the flesh and through the bladder; and movement and exertion dry up and concoct all the waste matter.
Οὐχ ἅπασι δὲ οὐδὲ πάντως αἱ τοιαῦται τῶν θεραπειῶν ἀλλʼ οἷς μὴ μεγάλαι μηδʼ ἀπὸ μεγάλων αἱ ἀρχαί.
However, such treatments are not for everyone nor in all cases, but for those whose beginnings of fatigue are neither great nor from great causes.
§1.7Τὰ δʼ ἀντίτυπα καὶ σκληρὰ μᾶλλον ποιεῖ κόπον καὶ ἐν πορείᾳ καὶ ἐν δρόμῳ καὶ ἐν κατακλίσει καὶ ἐν καθέδρᾳ διὰ τὸ μᾶλλον ποιεῖν πληγὴν καὶ πίεσιν.
On the other hand, resisting and hard things produce more fatigue in walking, running, lying down, and sitting, because they cause more impact and pressure.
Τάχα δ' ἴσως καὶ τὴν συντονίαν πλείω· κοπιαρώτερον δʼ ἂν τὸ τοιοῦτο δόξειεν.
Perhaps they also cause greater tension; and such a thing would seem to be more fatiguing.
Ἀλλʼ ἔν γε ταῖς καθέδραις καὶ ταῖς κατακλίσεσι τὸ ὑπεῖκον καὶ ἐνδιδὸν ὅταν ἅπαξ λάβῃ τὸ βάρος οὐκέτι ὑπείκει· ὥστε καὶ τοῦτο ἐχρῆν ὁμοίως ἀποπιέζειν.
But in sitting and lying down, that which yields and gives way, once it has received the weight, no longer yields; so it would seem that this too ought to press back in like manner.
§1.8Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ τοῦτʼ ἀληθές.
But this is not true.
Ἀεὶ γὰρ ἔχει πως τὰ τοιαῦτα ἔνδοσιν ὡς πιεστὰ τῇ φύσει· ἐπεὶ καὶ δῆλον ἐν τῷ πλείονι χρόνῳ ποιεῖ τὸ ὑποκείμενον ὅτι τοιοῦτον.
For such things always have some yield, being by nature compressible; since it is also clear over a longer time that the underlying object shows itself to be of this sort.
Τὰ δʼ ἀπίεστα καὶ μηδὲν ἐνδιδόντα τῇ θλίψει ποιεῖ τὸν κόπον.
On the other hand, things that are incompressible and yield nothing to pressure produce fatigue.
Ἔτι κατὰ τὴν κίνησιν καὶ τὴν τροπὴν τἆλλʼ ἐνδίδωσι καὶ ποιεῖ τινὰ μεταβολὴν, τὰ δὲ οὔ.
Furthermore, during movement and change of posture, other things yield and make some alteration, whereas these do not.
§1.9Διὰ ταῦτα δέ πως καὶ τὰ ἐπίπεδα τῶν κοίλων κοπιαρώτερα καὶ τὰ κυρτὰ τῶν ἐπιπέδων· ἡ γὰρ θλίψις σφοδρότερον ποιεῖ καὶ μείζω τὸν πόνον ἐφʼ ἕνα τόπον ἀθροιζομένου τοῦ βάρους.
For this very reason, flat surfaces are more fatiguing than concave ones, and convex surfaces more than flat ones; for the pressure makes the pain more intense and greater when the weight is concentrated on a single spot.
Τὸ μὲν οὖν κυρτὸν τοῦ εὐθέος τοῦτο δὲ μᾶλλον τοῦ κοίλου.
Therefore, the convex does this more than the straight, and the latter more than the concave.
§1.10Διότι δὲ τοὺς μηροὺς ἢ τὰς κνήμας μᾶλλον κοπιῶσιν;
Why is it that they feel more fatigue in the thighs or the shins?
ὅτι μάλισθʼ ὁ πόνος τῇ τοῦ συνεχοῦς διαστάσει· συνεχέστερος δὲ καὶ συμφυέστερος ὁ μηρὸς, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν νεύρων διάστασις ἐν τούτῳ, καὶ ἐγγυτέρω τοῦ τόπου τοῦ ἔχοντος τὸ περίττωμα.
Because pain is especially due to the pulling apart of that which is continuous; and the thigh is more continuous and more unified, and at the same time the pulling apart of the sinews is in this, and it is closer to the place containing the residue.
Διόπερ ἂν ὑπερβάλλῃ τῇ θερμότητι διὰ τὴν κίνησιν ἐπισπῶσιν οἱμηροὶ μᾶλλον καὶ πλεῖον.
Therefore, if it exceeds in heat because of movement, the thighs draw in more and to a greater degree.
Ὅτι δὲ ἡ ἀνάρτησις ποιεῖ συμπάθειαν τῶν νεύρων καὶ φλεβῶν καὶ ἐκ τῶν βουβώνων δῆλον· πληγέντων γὰρ τῶν κάτωθεν ἐνταῦθα βουβῶνες.
That suspension causes sympathy of the sinews and blood vessels is also clear from the groin; for when the parts below are struck, swelling of the groin occurs there.
§1.11Διότι δὲ καταβαίνοντες μὲν κατάντη τοὺς μηροὺς μάλιστα πονοῦσιν, ἀναβαίνοντες δὲ τὰς κνήμας;
And why is it that when going down a slope they hurt most in the thighs, but when going up, in the shins?
ὅτι κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἀνάβασιν ὁ πόνος τῷ αἴρειν τὸ σῶμα· φορτίον γὰρ γίνεται ἱκανόν· ᾧ οὖν ἅπαν ἐπίκειται τὸ βάρος καὶ ᾧ αἴρομεν τούτου μάλισθʼ ὁ πόνος, ἡ δὲ κνήμη τοιοῦτον· ἔσχατον γὰρ ἔχει μῆκος καὶ οὐχ ὥσ· περ ὁ ποὺς πλάτος, διόπερ σαλεύεται.
Because in going up, the pain is due to lifting the body, for it becomes a sufficient burden; therefore, the pain is greatest in that upon which the whole weight rests and with which we lift, and the shin is of this sort; for it has terminal length and not width like the foot, which is why it wavers.
Καθάπερ οὖν ὑπὸ τοῦ βάρους τὸν ὦμον μάλιστα πονοῦσιν * ὥστε ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἔχουσι τὸ βάρος ὁμοίως καὶ τὰς κνήμας.
Just as, therefore, they hurt most in the shoulder because of the weight, so that they have the weight upon this, in like manner they also hurt in the shins.
§1.12Ἐν δὲ τῷ καταβαίνειν ὁ πόνος τῷ ἐπιπίπτειν τὸ σῶμα καὶ προωθεῖν παρὰ φύσιν, ὥστε καὶ ᾧ μάλιστα ἐπιπίπτει καὶ σαλεύει τούτῳ μάλιστα καὶ ποιεῖ τὸν πόνον.
In going down, the pain is due to the body falling and being pushed forward contrary to nature, so that the pain is produced most in that upon which it falls most and which wavers.
Ὡς οὖν ἡ κνήμη μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ ἀναβαίνειν κακοπαθεῖ, οὕτως ὁ μηρὸς ἐν τῷ καταβαίνειν ἐξαίρων τὸ σῶμα ὅλον.
As, therefore, the shin suffers more in going up, so does the thigh in going down, supporting the entire body.
Ἁπλῶς δὲ τὰ βάρη κάτω φέρεται ὥστε χαλεπώτερον τὸ ἀναβαίνειν τοῦ καταβαίνειν.
Generally, weights are carried downwards, so that going up is harder than going down.
Χαλεπώτεροι δʼ οἱ περὶ τὸν θώρακα τόποι τῶν κάτω, διότι ἐγγυτέρω τοῦ πνευματικοῦ τόπου· συμβαίνει οὖν ταχὺ συνεκφλεγμαίνειν, τοῦτο δὲ ὁ πυρετός· ἡ δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν σκελῶν φλεγμονὴ πόρρω διὰ τὸ ἀπομαραίνεσθαι θᾶττον.
But the regions around the chest are more troublesome than those below, because they are closer to the seat of breath; it happens, therefore, that they quickly inflame together, and this is fever; whereas inflammation from the legs is far away, because of its withering away more quickly.