Humanitext Reader

Hippocrates · On the Humours §7-11

Conditions of Metastasis and Effects on the Body and Soul

Passage 3 of 5 · Greek

Summary

The author discusses the sites and conditions of disease metastasis, explains how mental movements and external stimuli affect bodily functions, and compares the stomach's function to that of the earth for trees.

§77.
7.
Τοῖσι κοπώδεσι τὸ σύμπαν, ἐν τοῖσι πυρετοῖσιν ἐς ἄρθρα καὶ παρὰ γνάθους μάλιστα ἀποστάσιες γίνονται, ἐγγύς τι τῶν πόνων ἑκάστου, ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ σύμπαν·
In those who suffer from fatigue, on the whole, during fevers, metastases (deposits of disease) occur especially in the joints and near the jaws, somewhere near each of the painful parts, and on the whole rather upwards.
ἢν ἀργὸς ἡ νοῦσος ἔῃ καὶ κατάῤῥοπος, κάτω καὶ αἱ ἀποστάσιες·
If the disease is sluggish and on the decline, the metastases are also downwards.
μάλιστα δὲ πόδες θερμοὶ κάτω σημαίνουσι, ψυχροὶ δὲ ἄνω.
Especially, warm feet signify a downward metastasis, and cold feet an upward one.
Οἷσι δὲ ἀνισταμένοισιν ἐκ τῶν νούσων, αὐτίκα δὲ χερσὶν ἢ ποσὶ πονήσασιν, ἐν τούτοισιν ἀφίστανται·
In those who, when recovering from diseases, immediately suffer pain in their hands or feet, the deposits occur in these parts.
ἀτὰρ καὶ ἤν τι προπεπονηκὸς ἔῃ, πρὶν ἢ νοσέειν, ἐς ταῦτα ἀποστηρίζεται, οἷον καὶ τοῖσιν ἐν Περίνθῳ βηχώδεσι καὶ κυναγχικοῖσιν· ποιέουσι γὰρ καὶ αἱ βῆχες ἀποστάσιας, ὥσπερ οἱ πυρετοί·
Furthermore, if there was any part previously painful before falling sick, the disease settles there, as in the case of those who suffered from coughs and quinsy in Perinthus; for coughs, like fevers, also produce metastases.
ταῦτα κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον συμβαινει ἢ ἀπὸ χυμῶν, ἢ σώματος συντήξιος καὶ ψυχῆς.
These things happen according to the same principle, either from humors, or from the dissolution of body and soul.
§88.
8.
Τοὺς μὲν οὖν χυμοὺς εἰδέναι, ἐν ᾗσιν ὥρῃσιν ἀνθέουσι, καὶ οἷα ἐν ἑκάστῃ νουσήματα ποιέουσι, καὶ οἷα ἐν ἑκάστῳ νουσήματι παθήματα.
One must, therefore, know the humors, in which seasons they flourish, and what kind of diseases they produce in each, and what kind of afflictions in each disease.
Τὸ δὲ σῶμα τὸ ἄλλο, ἐς ὅ τι μάλιστα νόσημα ἡ φύσις ῥέπει· οἷόν τι σπλὴν οἰδέων ποιέει, τούτων τι καὶ ἡ φύσις·
As for the rest of the body, to what kind of disease its nature (constitution) mostly inclines; for instance, what kind of things a swollen spleen produces, the constitution itself also produces something of this kind.
σχεδόν τι καὶ χρώματα κακίω, καὶ σώματα σειρέει, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο, ταῦτα διαγεγυμνᾶσθαι.
Almost in the same way, one must be thoroughly trained in these things: worsening of complexion, wasting of bodies, and whatever else.
§99.
9.
Ψυχῆς, ἀκρασίη ποτῶν καὶ βρωμάτων, ὕπνου, ἐγρηγόρσιος, ἢ δι᾿ ἔρωτάς τινας, οἷον κύβων, ἢ διὰ τέχνας ἢ δι᾿ ἀνάγκας καρτερίη πόνων, καὶ ὧντινων τεταγμένη ἢ ἄτακτος· αἱ μεταβολαὶ ἐξ οἵων ἐς οἷα.
As for the soul, one must observe the intemperance in drinks and food, sleep, wakefulness, or due to certain passions, such as dicing, or the endurance of labors due to skills or necessities, and whether any of these is orderly or disorderly; and what kind of changes occur from what states into what states.
Ἐκ τῶν ἠθέων, φιλοπονίη ψυχῆς, ἢ ζητέων, ἢ μελετέων, ἢ ὁρέων, ἢ λέγων, ἢ εἴ τι ἄλλο, οἷον λῦπαι, δυσοργησίαι, ἐπιθυμίαι· τὰ ἀπὸ συγκυρίης λυπήματα γνώμης, ἢ διὰ τῶν ὀμμάτων, ἢ διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς·
From habits, the diligence of the soul, whether in searching, practicing, observing, speaking, or whatever else, or griefs, irritability, desires; mental griefs arising from coincidence, either through the eyes or through the hearing.
οἷα τὰ σώματα, μύλης μὲν τριφθείσης πρὸς ἑωυτὴν, ὀδόντες ᾑμώδησαν, παρά τε κοῖλον παριόντι σκέλεα τρέμει, ὅταν τε τῇσι χερσί τις, ὧν μὴ δεῖται, αἴρῃ, αὗται τρέμουσιν, ὄφις ἐξαίφνης ὀφθεὶς χλωρότητα ἐποίησεν.
Examples of how bodies respond to the soul: when a millstone is rubbed against itself, the teeth are set on edge; when someone passes by a precipice, the legs tremble; when someone lifts what they do not need with their hands, these hands tremble; a snake suddenly seen produces paleness.
Οἱ φόβοι, αἰσχύνη, λύπη, ἡδονὴ, ὀργὴ, τἄλλα τοιαῦτα, οὕτως ὑπακούει ἑκάστῳ τὸ προσῆκον τοῦ σώματος τῇ πρήξει, ἐν τούτοισιν ἱδρῶτες, καρδίης παλμὸς, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν δυναμίων.
Fears, shame, grief, pleasure, anger, and other such things—thus the appropriate part of the body responds to each action; in these, sweats, palpitation of the heart, and other such functions of the faculties occur.
§1010.
10.
Τὰ ἔξωθεν ὠφελέοντα ἢ βλάπτοντα, ἄλειψις, κατάχυσις, κατάχρισις, κατάπλασις, ἐπίδεσις ἐρίων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ τὰ ἔνδοθεν ὑπακούει τούτων ὁμοίως ὥσπερ τὰ ἔξω τῶν ἔσω προσφερομένων·
The things that benefit or harm from without are: anointing, pouring of water, embrocation, poultice, binding with wool and the like; and the internal parts respond to these in the same way as the external parts respond to things administered within.
ἀτὰρ καὶ τάδε, ἐν ἐρίοισι κοίτη πινώδεσι, καὶ τὸ παρὰ βασιλεῖ λεγόμενον κύμινον, ὁρῶσιν, ὀσφραινομένοισιν· ὅσα κεφαλῆς ἀγωγὰ, ταρακτικὰ, λόγοι, φωνὴ, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα· μαζοὶ, γονὴ, ὑστέρη, σημήϊα ταῦτ᾿ ἐν τῇσιν ἡλικίῃσι, καὶ ἐν τοῖσι πνιγμοῖσι, καὶ βηξὶ, τὰ πρὸς ὄρχιν.
Furthermore, the following things also have an effect: lying on bed in dirty wool, and the so-called "royal cumin", on those who see or smell them; whatever things are evacuants of the head, or disturbing, words, voice, and the like; breasts, semen, uterus, these are signs in the various ages, and, in suffocations and coughs, the conditions of the testicles are signs.
§1111.
11.
Ὥσπερ τοῖσι δένδρεσιν ἡ γῆ, οὕτω τοῖσι ζώοισιν ἡ γαστήρ· καὶ τρέφει, καὶ θερμαίνει, καὶ ψύχει, ψύχει μὲν κενουμένη, θερμαίνει δὲ πληρουμένη·
What the earth is to trees, the stomach is to animals; it nourishes, warms, and cools; it cools when emptied, and warms when filled.
ὥσπερ γῆ κοπρευομένη χειμῶνος θερμὴ, οὕτω καὶ ἡ κοιλίη.
Just as earth manured is warm in winter, so also is the stomach.
Δένδρεα φλοιὸν λεπτὸν ξηρὸν ἔχει, ἔσωθεν δὲ ξηρόσαρκα, ὑγιηρὰ, ἄσηπτα, χρόνια, καὶ ζώων, οἷον χελῶναι, καὶ ὅ τι τοιοῦτον.
Trees have a thin, dry bark, and within they have dry, healthy, non-decaying, long-lasting wood; and among animals, such as tortoises and the like are similar.
Ἡλικίῃσιν, ὥρῃσιν, ἐνιαυτοῖσιν ὅμοια τὰ ζῶντα· οὐ τρίβεται, χρωμένοισι μετρίως βελτίω·
Living things are similar in their ages, seasons, and years; they are not worn away, but are better when used moderately.
ὥσπερ ὑδρήϊον νέον διαπηδᾷ, παλαιούμενον στέγει, οὕτω καὶ ἡ γαστὴρ διίει τὴν τροφὴν, καὶ ὑποστάθμην ἴσχει ὥσπερ ἀγγεῖον.
Just as a new water-pot lets water pass through (leaks), but when it grows old it holds it, so also the stomach lets the nourishment pass through, and holds the sediment like a vessel.

Notes

  1. §7Τοῖσι κοπώδεσι — A dative noun phrase meaning 'in those who suffer from fatigue'. Contextually, it functions as a dative of interest or reference, establishing the subject group in whom the metastases in the joints occur during fevers.
  2. §8Τοὺς μὲν οὖν χυμοὺς εἰδέναι — The accusative and infinitive construction used as an 'imperative infinitive'. The subsequent indirect questions (such as ἐν ᾗσιν ὥρῃσιν...) serve as objects of this infinitive εἰδέναι. The infinitive διαγεγυμνᾶσθαι ('to be trained') at the end of the section is likewise an imperative infinitive.
  3. §9Ψυχῆς — A genitive placed at the beginning of the sentence, functioning not as an object of a specific verb, but as a genitive of topic or respect ('as for the soul'). The subsequent noun phrases (such as ἀκρασίη...) are listed in apposition as specific items to be observed.
  4. §11ὥσπερ ὑδρήϊον νέον διαπηδᾷ — The verb διαπηδάω here means 'to percolate' or 'to let water leak through'. It refers to the porous nature of a new earthenware vessel or wineskin that allows water to transpire, whereas an old one becomes clogged and holds water (στέγει). This physical analogy is used to explain the stomach's function of letting nourishment pass while retaining sediment.

Cite this passage

Hippocrates, On the Humours §7-11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0627.tlg015.humanitext-grc1:7-11

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.