§2222.
22.
Δεῖν δέ μοι δοκέει καὶ ταῦτ᾿ εἰδέναι, ὅσα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ παθήματα ἀπὸ δυνάμιων ἔρχεται, καὶ ὅσα ἀπὸ σχημάτων.
It seems to me that it is also necessary to know these things: how many sufferings come to a human being from powers, and how many from shapes.
Λέγω δὲ τί τοῦτο;
What do I mean by this?
Δύναμιν μὲν εἶναι τῶν χυμῶν τὰς ἀκρότητάς τε καὶ ἰσχῦς· σχήματα δὲ λέγω ὅσα ἔνεστιν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ.
I say that "power" is the extremities and strengths of the humors, and by "shapes" I mean all the forms that exist in a human being.
Τὰ μὲν γὰρ κοῖλά τε καὶ ἐξ εὐρέος ἐς στενόν ἐστι συνηγμένα, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐκπεπταμένα, τὰ δὲ στερεά τε καὶ στρογγύλα, τὰ δὲ πλατέα καὶ ἐπικρεμάμενα, τὰ δὲ διατεταμένα, τὰ δὲ μακρὰ, τὰ δὲ πυκνὰ, τὰ δὲ μανά τε καὶ τεθηλότα, τὰ δὲ σπογγοειδέα καὶ ἀραιά.
For some are hollow and drawn together from a wide part to a narrow one, some are flatly extended, some are solid and round, some are broad and suspended, some are stretched out, some are long, some are dense, some are loose and moist, and some are sponge-like and porous.
Τοῦτο μὲν, ἑλκύσαι ἐφ᾿ ἑωυτὸ καὶ ἐπισπάσασθαι ὑγρότητα ἐκ τοῦ ἄλλου σώματος, πότερον τὰ κοῖλά τε καὶ ἐκπεπταμένα, ἢ τὰ στερεά τε καὶ στρογγύλα, ἢ τὰ κοῖλά τε καὶ ἐς στενὸν ἐξ εὐρέος συνηγμένα, δύναιτ᾿ ἂν μάλιστα;
On the one hand, to attract to itself and draw in moisture from the rest of the body, which of these would be most capable: the hollow and flatly extended ones, the solid and round ones, or those that are hollow and drawn together from a wide part to a narrow one?
Οἶμαι μέντοι τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐς στενὸν συνηγμένα ἐκ κοίλου τε καὶ εὐρέος.
I think, indeed, those drawn together to a narrow part from a hollow and wide one.
Καταμανθάνειν δὲ δεῖ αὐτὰ ἔξωθεν ἐκ τῶν φανερῶν.
One must learn these things from the visible things outside.
Τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ, τῷ στόματι κεχηνὼς ὑγρὸν οὐδὲν ἀνασπάσαις· προμυλλήνας δὲ καὶ συστείλας, πιέσας τε τὰ χείλεα, ἔτι τε αὐλὸν προσθέμενος, ῥηϊδίως ἀνασπάσαις ἂν ὅ τι θέλοις.
For, on the one hand, with your mouth wide open you could draw up no liquid; but if you pout and compress your lips, and further apply a tube, you could easily draw up whatever you wish.
Τοῦτο δὲ, αἱ σικύαι προσβαλλόμεναι ἐξ εὐρέος ἐς στενώτερον ἐστενωμέναι πρὸς τοῦτο τετεχνέαται, πρὸς τὸ ἕλκειν ἀπὸ τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ ἐπισπᾶσθαι, ἄλλα τε πολλὰ τοιουτότροπα.
On the other hand, cupping glasses, when applied, being narrowed from a wide part to a narrower one, are constructed for this purpose: to draw from the flesh and pull in, and there are many other things of this kind.
Τῶν δ᾿ ἔσω τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσις καὶ σχῆμα τοιοῦτον· κύστις τε καὶ κεφαλὴ, καὶ ὑστέρα γυναιξί·
The nature and shape of the inner parts of a human being are of this sort: the bladder, the head, and the uterus in women.
καὶ φανερῶς ταῦτα μάλιστα ἕλκει, καὶ πλήρεά ἐστιν ἐπάκτου ὑγρότητος αἰεί.
These clearly attract most of all, and are always full of imported moisture.
Τά δὲ κοῖλα καὶ ἐκπεπταμένα ἐπιῤῥυεῖσαν μὲν ἂν ὑγρότητα μάλιστα δέξαιτο πάντων, ἐπισπάσαιτο δ᾿ἂν οὐχ ὁμοίως.
But the hollow and flatly extended parts would receive flowing moisture most of all things, but would not draw it in in the same way.
Τὰ δέ γε στερεὰ καὶ στρογγύλα οὔτ᾿ ἂν ἐπισπάσαιτο οὔτ᾿ ἂν ἐπιῤῥυεῖσαν δέξαιτο· περιολισθάνοι τε γὰρ ἂν, καὶ οὐκ ἔχοι ἕδρην ἐφ᾿ ἧς μένοι.
The solid and round parts would neither draw it in nor receive it when flowing; for it would slide off, and would have no seat on which to remain.
Τὰ δὲ σπογγοειδέα τε καὶ ἀραιὰ, οἶον σπλὴν, πλεύμων καὶ μαζοὶ, προσκαθεζόμενα μάλιστα ἀναπίοι καὶ σκληρυνθείη καὶ αὐξηθείη, ὑγρότητος προσγενομένης, ταῦτα μάλιστα.
But the sponge-like and porous parts, such as the spleen, the lung, and the breasts, being adjacent, would most of all drink up moisture when it is added, and would become hard and enlarged, these most of all.
Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐν σπληνὶ, ὥσπερ ἐν κοιλίῃ ἐν ἧ τὸ ὑγρὸν, ἔξω τε περιέχοι αὕτη ἡ κοιλίη καὶ ἐξαλίζοιτ᾿ ἂν καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ἡμέρην·
For it would not be in the spleen as in the belly in which the liquid is; the belly itself encloses it from the outside and evacuates it every day.
ἀλλ᾿ ὅταν πίῃ καὶ δέξηται αὐτὸς ἐς ἑωυτὸν τὸ ὑγρὸν, τὰ κενὰ καὶ ἀραιὰ ἐπληρώθη, καὶ τὰ σμικρὰ πάντα, καὶ ἀντὶ ἀραιοῦ τε καὶ μαλθακοῦ σκληρός τε καὶ πυκνὸς ἐγένετο, καὶ οὔτ᾿ ἐκπέσσει οὔτ᾿ ἀφίησι· ταῦτα δὲ πάσχει διὰ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ σχήματος.
But when the spleen itself drinks and receives the liquid into itself, the empty and porous parts are filled, and all the small parts, and instead of being porous and soft, it becomes hard and dense, and neither digests nor lets it go; and it suffers these things because of the nature of its shape.
Ὅσα δὲ φῦσάν τε καὶ ἀνειλήματα ἐνεργάζονται ἐν τῷ σώματι, προσήκει ἐν μὲν τοῖσι κοίλοισί τε καὶ εὐρυχώροισιν, οἷον κοιλίῃ τε καὶ θώρηκι, ψόφον τε καὶ πάταγον ἐμποιέειν.
As for those things which produce wind and flatulence in the body, it is natural for them, in hollow and spacious places like the belly and the chest, to produce noise and clatter.
Ὅτε γὰρ ἂν μὴ ἀποπληρώσῃ οὕτως ὥστε στῆναι, ἀλλ᾿ ἔχῃ μεταβολάς τε καὶ κινήσιας, ἀνάγκη ὑπ᾿ αὐτέων καὶ ψόφον καὶ καταφανέας κινήσιας γίνεσθαι.
For whenever it does not fill them so as to stand still, but has changes and movements, it is necessary that both noise and visible movements occur because of them.
Ὅσα δὲ σαρκώδεά τε καὶ μαλθακὰ, ἐν τοῖσι τουτέοισι νάρκαι τε καὶ πληρώματα, οἷα ἐν τοῖσιν ἀποπληγεῖσι γίνεται·
But in those parts which are fleshy and soft, numbness and obstructions occur in them, such as occur in those who are paralyzed.
ὅταν δ᾿ ἐγκύρσῃ πλατέϊ τε καὶ ἀντικειμένῳ, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ ἀντιπαίσῃ, καὶ φύσει τοῦτο τύχῃ, μήτε ἰσχυρὸν ἐὸν; ὥστε δύνασθαι ἀντέχεσθαι τῆς βίης καὶ μηδὲν κακὸν παθεῖν, μήτε μαλθακόν τε καὶ ἀραιὸν, ὥστ᾿ ἐκδέξασθαί τε καὶ ὑπεῖξαι, ἁπαλὸν δὲ καὶ τεθηλὸς καὶ ἔναιμον καὶ πυκνὸν, οἷον ἧπαρ, διὰ μὲν. τὴν πυκνότητα καὶ πλατύτητα ἀνθέστηκέ τε καὶ. οὐχ ὑπείκει.
But when it encounters something broad and opposing, and strikes against it, and this happens to be by nature neither strong so as to be able to resist the force and suffer no harm, nor soft and porous so as to receive it and yield, but tender, moist, full of blood, and dense, such as the liver—because of its density and broadness, it resists and does not yield.
Φῦσα δὲ ὑποδεχομένη αὔξεταί τε καὶ ἰσχυροτέρη γίνεται, καὶ ὁρμᾷ μάλίστα πρὸς τὸ ἀντιπαῖον.
And the wind, being received, increases and becomes stronger, and rushes especially against the obstacle.
Διὰ δὲ τὴν ἁπαλότητα καὶ τὴν ἐναιμότητα οὐ δύναται ἄνευ πόνων εἶναι, καὶ διὰ ταύτας τὰς προφάσιας ὀδύναι τε ὀξύταται καὶ πυκνόταται πρὸς τοῦτό τὸ χωρίον· γίνονται, ἐκπυήματά τε καὶ φύματα πλεῖστα.
Because of the tenderness and the presence of blood, it cannot be without pains, and due to these causes, the sharpest and most frequent pains occur in this region, and abscesses and tumors are most numerous.
Γίνεται δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ φρένας ἰσχυρῶς, ἧσσον δὲ πολλόν· διάτασις μὲν γὰρ φρενῶν πλατείη καὶ ἀντικειμένη, φύσις δὲ νευρωδεστέρη τε καὶ ἰσχυροτέρη, διὸ ἧσσον ἐπώδυνά ἐστι.
It also occurs strongly under the diaphragm, but much less; for the extension of the diaphragm is broad and opposing, but its nature is more tendinous and stronger, wherefore it is less painful.
Γίνονται δὲ καὶ περὶ ταῦτα καὶ πόνοι καὶ φύματα.
Yet both pains and tumors occur about these parts too.