§33.
3.
Τὴν γὰρ ἀρχὴν οὔτ᾿ ἂν εὑρέθη ἡ τέχνη ἡ ἰητρικὴ, οὔτ᾿ ἂν ἐζητήθη (οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτέης ἔδει), εἰ τοῑσι κάμνουσι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὰ αὐτὰ διαιτωμένοισί τε καὶ προσφερομένοισιν, ἅπερ οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες ἐσθίουσί τε καὶ πίνουσι καὶ τἄλλα διαιτέονται, ξυνέφερε, καὶ εἰ μὴ ἦν ἕτερα τουτέων βελτίω.
For to begin with, the art of medicine would neither have been discovered nor searched for (since there was no need of it at all), if it had been beneficial for sick people to use and ingest the very same things that healthy people eat, drink, and otherwise use in their lifestyle, and if there were not other things better than these.
Νῦν δ᾿ αὐτὴ ἡ ἀνάγκη ἰητρικὴν ἐποίησε ζητηθῆναί τε καὶ εὑρεθῆναι ἀνθρώποισιν· ὅτι κάμνουσι ταὐτὰ προσφερομένοισιν, ἅπερ οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες, οὐ ξυνέφερεν, ὡς οὐδὲ νῦν ξυμφέρει.
But now, necessity itself has caused medicine to be searched for and discovered by human beings, because for the sick, ingesting the same things as the healthy was not beneficial, just as it is not beneficial even now.
Ἔτι δ᾿ ἄνωθεν ἔγωγε ἀξιῶ οὐδ᾿ ἂν τῶν ὑγιαινόντων δίαιτάν τε καὶ τροφὴν, ᾗ νῦν χρέονται, εὑρεθῆναι, εἰ ἐξήρκεε τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ταὐτὰ ἐσθίοντι καὶ πίνοντι βοΐ τε καὶ ἵππῳ καὶ πᾶσιν ἐκτὸς ἀνθρώπου, οἷον τὰ ἐκ τῆς γῆς φυόμενα, καρπούς τε καὶ ὕλην καὶ χόρτον· ἀπὸ τουτέων γὰρ καὶ αὔξονται καὶ ἄπονοι διάγουσιν, οὐδὲν προσδεόμενοι ἄλλης διαίτης.
Furthermore, looking even further back, I believe that not even the lifestyle and nourishment of healthy people which they now use would have been discovered, if it had sufficed for human beings to eat and drink the same things as an ox, a horse, and all animals other than humans—such as the things that grow from the earth, fruits, vegetation, and grass; for from these they grow and live without pain, needing no other lifestyle besides.
Καί τοι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔγωγε ἀξιῶ καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοιαύτῃ τροφῇ κεχρῆσθαι.
And yet, I believe that to begin with, humans also used such nourishment.
Τὰ δέ γε νῦν διαιτήματα εὑρημένα καὶ τετεχνημένα ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ γεγενῆσθαί μοι δοκέει.
But our present ways of living, which have been discovered and crafted by art, seem to me to have come about over a long period.
Ὡς γὰρ ἔπασχον πολλά τε καὶ δεινὰ ἀπὸ ἰσχυρῆς τε καὶ θηριώδεος διαίτης, ὠμά τε καὶ ἄκρητα καὶ μεγάλας δυνάμιας ἔχοντα ἐσφερόμενοι, οἷά περ ἂν καὶ νῦν ὑπ᾿ αὐτέων πάσχοιεν, πόνοισί τε ἰσχυροῖσι καὶ νούσοισι περιπίπτοντες, καὶ διὰ ταχέος θανάτοισιν.
For they suffered many terrible things from a strong and beast-like lifestyle, ingesting raw, unmixed things with strong powers—such as they would suffer from them even now—falling into severe pains and diseases, and quickly into death.
Ἧσσον μὲν οὖν ταῦτα τότε εἰκὸς ἦν πάσχειν διὰ τὴν συνήθειαν· ἰσχυρῶς δὲ καὶ τότε· καὶ τοὺς μὲν πλείστους τε καὶ ἀσθενεστέρην φύσιν ἔχοντας ἀπόλλυσθαι εἰκὸς, τοὸς δὲ τουτέων ὑπερέχοντας πλείω χρόνον ἀντέχειν· ὥσπερ καὶ νῦν ἐκ τῶν ἰσχυρῶν βρωμάτων· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ῥηϊδίως ἀπαλλάσσονται, οἱ δὲ μετὰ πολλῶν πόνων τε καὶ κακῶν.
It was indeed likely that they suffered these things less then because of habit, yet they suffered severely even then; and it was likely that the majority, those of a weaker nature, perished, while those superior to them held out for a longer time, just as now from strong foods, some get off easily, while others do so with many pains and evils.
Διὰ δὴ ταύτην τὴν χρείην καὶ οὗτοί μοι δοκέουσι ζητῆσαι τροφὴν ἁρμόζουσαν τῇ φύσει, καὶ εὑρεῖν ταύτην, ᾗ νῦν χρεόμεθα· ἐκ μὲν οὖν τῶν πυρῶν, βρέξαντες καὶ πτίσαντες καὶ καταλέσαντες πάντα, καὶ διασήσαντες, καὶ φορύξαντες, καὶ ὀπτήσαντες, ἀπετέλεσαν ἄρτον· ἐκ δέ γε τῶν κριθέων μᾶζαν, ἄλλα τε συχνὰ περὶ ταύτην πρηγματευσάμενοι, ἥψησάν τε καὶ ὤπτησαν, καὶ ἔμιξαν, καὶ ἐκέρασαν τὰ ἰσχυρά τε καὶ ἄκρητα τοῖσιν ἀσθενεστέροισι, πλάσσοντες πάντα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσιν τε καὶ δύναμιν, ἡγεύμενοι, ὅτι ὅσα μὲν ἂν ἰσχυρότερα ᾖ, οὐ δυνήσεται κρατέειν ἡ φύσις, ἢν ἐσβάληται, ἀπὸ τουτέων δ᾿ αὐτέων πόνους τε καὶ νούσους καὶ θανάτους ἔσεσθαι· ὅσων δ᾿ ἂν δύνηται ἐπικρατέειν, ἀπὸ τουτέων τροφήν τε καὶ αὔξησιν καὶ ὑγιείην.
For this very necessity, therefore, they also seem to me to have searched for nourishment harmonizing with human nature, and to have found that which we now use: from wheat, by soaking, winnowing, grinding it all, sifting, kneading, and baking, they produced bread; and from barley, barley-cake, having busied themselves with many other things concerning this, boiling, baking, mixing, and blending the strong and unmixed things with the weaker, shaping everything to the nature and power of man, believing that whatever is too strong, the nature of man will not be able to master if it is ingested, and that from these very things pains, diseases, and deaths will arise, but from whatever it can master, nourishment, growth, and health will result.
Τῷ δ᾿ εὑρήματι τούτῳ καὶ ζητήματι τί ἄν τις οὔνομα δικαιότερον ἢ προσῆκον μᾶλλον θείη ἢ ἰητρικήν;
To this discovery and search, what name could one more justly or properly give than medicine?
ὅτι γε εὕρηται ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὑγιείῃ τε καὶ τροφῇ καὶ σωτηρίῃ, ἄλλαγμα κείνης τῆς διαίτης, ἐξ ἧς οἱ πόνοι καὶ νοῦσοι καὶ θάνατοι ἐγίνοντο.
Since indeed it has been discovered for the health, nourishment, and safety of man, as a replacement for that lifestyle from which pains, diseases, and deaths arose.
§44.
4.
Εἰ δὲ μὴ τέχνη αὐτὴ νομίζεται εἶναι, οὐκ ἀπεικός· ἧς γὰρ μηδείς ἐστιν ἰδιώτης, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἐπιστήμονες διὰ τὴν χρῆσίν τε καὶ ἀνάγκην, οὐ προσήκει ταύτης οὐδένα τεχνίτην καλέεσθαι·
But if this is not considered to be an art, it is not unreasonable; for concerning an art of which no one is a layman, but all are knowledgeable because of use and necessity, it is not appropriate to call anyone a craftsman of it.
ἐπεὶ τό γε εὅρημα καὶ μέγα καὶ πολλῆς τέχνης τε καὶ σκέψιος.
Although, indeed, the discovery itself is great and of much art and consideration.
Ἔτι γοῦν καὶ νῦν οἱ τῶν γυμνασίων τε καὶ ἀσκησίων ἐπιμελόμενοι αἰεί τι προσεξευρίσκουσι, κατὰ τὴν αὐτέην ὁδὸν ζητέοντες ὅ τι ἔδων τε καὶ πίνων ἐπικρατήσει τε αὐτέων μάλιστα, καὶ ἰσχυρότερος αὐτὸς ἑωυτοῦ ἔσται.
At any rate, even now, those who take care of physical training and exercises are always discovering something further, searching along the same path for what eating and drinking will master them most, and make a man stronger than his own self.