§99.
9.
Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἦν ἁπλῶς, ὥσπερ ὑφηγέεται, ὅσα μὲν ἦν ἰσχυρότερα ἔβλαπτεν, ὅσα δ᾿ ἦν ἀσθενέστερα ὠφέλεέ τε καὶ ἔτρεφε τὸν κάμνοντα καὶ τὸν ὑγιαίνοντα, εὐπετὲς ἂν ἦν τὸ πρῆγμα πολλὸν γὰρ τοῦ ἀσφαλέος ἂν ἔδει περιλαμβάνοντας ἄγειν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀσθενέστατον.
And if it were simply as it points out, that whatever was stronger harmed, and whatever was weaker benefited and nourished both the sick and the healthy, the matter would be easy; for one would only have to take a large margin of safety and lead towards the weakest.
Νῦν δὲ οὐκ ἔλασσον ἁμάρτημα, οὐδὲ ἧσσον λυμαίνεται τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἢν ἐλάσσονα καὶ ἐνδεέστερα τῶν ἱκανῶν προσφέρηται· τὸ γὰρ τοῦ λιμοῦ μέρος δύναται ἰσχυρῶς ἐν τῇ φύσει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ γυιῶσαι καὶ ἀσθενέα ποιῆσαι καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι.
But now it is no less of an error, nor does it harm a man less, if he takes less and more deficient food than what is sufficient; for the factor of hunger has a powerful capacity in the nature of man to paralyze, weaken, and kill.
Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα κακὰ, ἑτεροῖα μὲν τῶν ἀπὸ πληρώσιος, οὐχ ἧσσον δὲ ἅμα δεινὰ καὶ ἀπὸ κενώσιος· δι᾿ ὧν πολλὸν ποικιλώτερά τε καὶ διὰ πλέονος ἀκριβίης ἐστί.
And many other evils, different from those of fullness, but no less terrible, arise also from emptiness; because of which the art is much more complex and requires greater accuracy.
Δεῖ γὰρ μέτρου τινὸς στοχάσασθαι· μέτρον δὲ, οὐδὲ σταθμὸν, οὐδὲ ἀριθμὸν οὐδένα ἄλλον, πρὸς ὃ ἀναφέρων εἴσῃ τὸ ἀκριβὲς, οὐκ ἂν εὑροίης ἄλλ᾿ ἢ τοῦ σώματος τὴν αἴσθησιν·
For one must aim at a certain measure; but a measure, or weight, or any other number, by reference to which you will know the exact truth, you would not find, except for the sensation of the body.
διὸ ἔργον οὕτω καταμαθεῖν ἀκριβέως, ὥστε σμικρὰ ἁμαρτάνειν ἔνθα ἢ ἔνθα· κἂν ἐγὼ τοῦτον τὸν ἰητρὸν ἰσχυρῶς ἐπαινέοιμι τὸν σμικρὰ ἁμαρτάνοντα.
Therefore, it is a difficult task to understand so accurately as to make only small errors in one direction or the other; and I would highly praise that physician who makes only small errors.
Τὸ δ᾿ ἀκριβὲς ὀλιγάκις ἐστὶ κατιδεῖν· ἐπεὶ οἱ πολλοί γε τῶν ἰητρῶν τἀυτά μοι δοκέουσι τοῖσι κακοῖσι κυβερνήτῃσι πάσχειν·
But the exact truth is rarely to be seen; for the majority of physicians seem to me to suffer the same fate as bad pilots.
καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ὅταν ἐν γαλήνῃ κυβερνῶντες ἁμαρτάνωσιν, οὐ καταφανέες εἰσίν· ὅταν δὲ αὐτοὺς κατάσχῃ χειμών τε μέγας καὶ ἄνεμος ἐξώστης, φανερῶς ἤδη πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποισι δι᾿ ἀγνωσίην καὶ ἁμαρτίην δῆλοί εἰσιν ἀπολέσαντες τὴν ναῦν.
For they too, when they make mistakes while piloting in a calm, are not conspicuous; but when a great storm and a driving wind overtake them, they are then manifestly revealed to all men as having lost the ship through ignorance and error.
Οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ κακοί τε καὶ πλεῖστοι ἰητροὶ, ὅταν μὲν θεραπεύωσιν ἀνθρώπους μηδὲν δεινὸν ἔχοντας, ἐς οὓς ἄν τις καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἁμαρτάνων οὐδὲν δεινὸν ἐργάσαιτο, πυλλὰ δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα νουσήματα καὶ πολὺ πλέον τῶν δεινῶν ἀνθρώποισι ξυμβαίνει, ἐν μὲν δὴ τοῖσι τοιούτοισιν ἁμαρτάνοντες οὐ καταφανέες εἰσὶ τοῖσιν ἰδιώτῃσιν.
So indeed also the bad and the majority of physicians, when they treat people who have nothing serious—against whom anyone making even the greatest mistakes would do no serious harm, and many such diseases, indeed far more than serious ones, happen to men—when they make mistakes in such cases, they are not conspicuous to laymen.
Ὁκόταν δ᾿ ἐντύχωσι μεγάλῳ τε καὶ ἰσχυρῷ καὶ ἐπισφαλεῖ νουσήματι, τότε σφέων τὰ ἁμαρτήματα καὶ ἡ ἀτεχνίη πᾶσι καταφανής ἐστιν· οὐ γὰρ ἐς μακρὸν αὐτέων ἑκατέρου αἱ τιμωρίαι, ἀλλὰ διὰ ταχέος πάρεισιν.
But whenever they encounter a great, severe, and dangerous disease, then their errors and lack of art are manifest to all; for the penalties of each of these do not come after a long time, but are present immediately.
§1010.
10.
Ὅτι δὲ οὐδὲν ἐλάσσους ἀπὸ κενώσιος ἀκαίρου κακοπάθειαι γίνονται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἢ καὶ ἀπὸ πληρώσιος, καταμανθάνειν καλῶς ἔχει ἐπαναφέροντας ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας.
That sufferings of no less severity arise for man from untimely emptiness than from fullness, it is well to understand by referring to those who are healthy.
Ἔστι γὰρ οἷσιν αὐτέων ξυμφέρει μονοσιτέειν, καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τὸ ξυμφέρον οὕτως αὐτοὶ συνετάξαντο· ἄλλοισι δὲ ἀριστῇν, διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀνάγκην· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτέοισι ξυμφέρει, καὶ μὴ τούτοισιν, οἳ δι᾿ ἡδονὴν ἢ δι᾿ ἄλλην τινὰ ξυγκυρίην ἐπετήδευσαν ὁπότερον αὐτέων·
For there are some of them whom it benefits to eat only once a day, and they themselves established this practice because of its benefit; and for others to take lunch, because of the same necessity; for thus it benefits them, and not those who, through pleasure or some other coincidence, have practiced either of them.
τοῖσι μὲν γὰρ πλείστοισι τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲν διαφέρει πότερον ἂν ἐπιτηδεύσωσιν, εἴτε μονοσιτέειν, εἴτε ἀριστῇν, τουτέῳ τῷ ἔθεϊ χρέεσθαι.
For to the majority of men it makes no difference which of the two they practice, whether to eat once a day or to take lunch, to use this custom.
Εἰσὶ δέ τινες οἳ οὐκ ἂν δύναιντο, ἔξω τοῦ ξυμφέροντος ποιέοντες, ῥηϊδίως ἀπαλλάσσειν, ἀλλὰ ξυμβαίνει αὐτέων ἑκατέροισι παρ᾿ ἡμέρην μίην, καὶ ταύτην οὐχ ὅλην μεταβάλλουσιν, ὑπερφυὴς κακοπαθείη.
But there are some who, if they act outside of what is beneficial, could not easily get off, but for either of them, if they change for a single day, and not even the whole of it, an extraordinary suffering occurs.
Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἢν ἀριστήσωσι μὴ ξυμφέροντος αὐτέοισιν, εὐθὺς βαρέες καὶ νωθροὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὴν γνώμην, χάσμης τε καὶ νυσταγμοῦ καὶ δίψης πλήρεες· ἢν δὲ ἐπιδειπνήσωσι, καὶ φῦσα καὶ στρόφος καὶ ἡ κοιλίη καταρρήγνυται· καὶ πολλοῖσιν ἀρχὴ νούσου αὕτη μεγάλης ἐγένετο, ἢν τὰ αὐτὰ σιτία, ἃ μεμαθήκεσαν ἅπαξ ἀναλίσκειν, δὶς προσενέγκηται, καὶ μηδὲν ἔτι πλέον.
For those who take lunch when it is not beneficial to them, immediately become heavy and sluggish in body and mind, full of yawning, drowsiness, and thirst; and if they also eat dinner, wind, colic, and the bowel is ruptured; and for many this has been the beginning of a great disease, if the same foods, which they had learned to consume once, are taken twice, and nothing more.
Τοῦτο δὲ, ἢν ἀριστῇν μεμαθηκώς τις, καὶ οὕτως αὐτέῳ ξυμφέρον, μὴ ἀριστήσῃ, ὅταν τάχιστα παρέλθῃ ἡ ὥρη, εὐθὺς ἀδυναμίη δεινὴ, τρόμος, ἀψυχίη· ἐπὶ τούτοισιν ὀφθαλμοὶ χλωρότεροι, οὖρον παχὺ καὶ θερμὸν, στόμα πικρὸν, καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα οἱ δοκέει κρεμᾶσθαι, σκοτοδινίη, δυσθυμίη, δυσεργίη·
On the other hand, if someone who has learned to take lunch, and for whom it is beneficial, does not take lunch, as soon as the hour has passed, there is immediately terrible weakness, trembling, and loss of spirit; in addition to these, eyes become more yellow, urine thick and hot, mouth bitter, and his viscera seem to him to be suspended, with dizziness, despondency, and inability to work.
ταῦτα δὲ πάντα, καὶ ὅταν δειπνέειν ἐπιχειρήσῃ, ἀηδέστερος μὲν ὁ σῖτος, ἀναλίσκειν δὲ οὐ δύναται ὅσα ἀριστιζόμενος πρότερον ἐδείπνει· ταῦτα δὲ αὐτὰ μετὰ στρόφου τε καὶ ψόφου καταβαίνοντα ξυγκαίει τὴν κοιλίην, δυσκοιτέουσί τε καὶ ἐνυπνιάζονται τεταραγμένα καὶ θορυβώδεα· πολλοῖσι δὲ καὶ τουτέων αὕτη ἀρχὴ νούσου ἐγένετο.
With all these symptoms, when he attempts to dine, the food is more unpleasant and he cannot consume as much as he previously dined on when taking lunch; and these very things, descending with colic and noise, burn the bowel, and they sleep badly and dream of troubled and turbulent things; and for many of these, too, this has been the beginning of a disease.