§1212.
12.
Ἰητρικὴ δὲ, τοῦτο μὲν τῶν ἐμπύων, τοῦτο δὲ τῶν τὸ ἧπαρ ἢ τοὺς νεφροὺς, τοῦτο δὲ τῶν ξυμπάντων ἐν τῇ νηδύϊ νοσεύντων ἀπεστερημένη τι ἰδεῖν ὄψει, ᾗ τὰ πάντα πάντες ἱκανωτάτως ὁρῶσιν, ὅμως ἄλλας εὐπορίας συνεργοὺς ἐφεῦρε, φωνῆς τε γὰρ λαμπρότητι καὶ τρηχύτητι, καὶ πνεύματος ταχυτῆτι καὶ βραδυτῆτι, καὶ ῥευμάτων, ἃ διαῤῥεῖν εἴωθεν, ἑκάστοισι, δι’ ὧν ἔξοδοι δέδονται, ὧν τὰ μὲν ὀδμῇσι, τὰ δὲ χροίῃσι, τὰ δὲ λεπτότητι καὶ παχύτητι διασταθμωμένη τεκμαίρεται, ὧν τε σημεῖα ταῦτα, ἅ τε πεπονθότων, ἅ τε παθεῖν δυναμένων.
But medicine, though deprived of seeing with the sight—by which everyone sees everything most sufficiently—anything of those with internal suppuration, or of those suffering in the liver or the kidneys, or of those suffering generally in the abdomen, nevertheless has found other resource-helpers. For it infers, weighing by the clearness and roughness of the voice, and the speed and slowness of the breath, and by the discharges which are accustomed to flow through the outlets given to each; of which it judges some by smells, some by colors, and some by thinness and thickness, inferring both what things these are signs of, and whether they belong to those who have already suffered or to those who are capable of suffering.
Ὅταν δὲ ταῦτα [μὴ] μηνύωνται, μηδ’ αὐτὴ ἡ φύσις ἑκοῦσα ἀφίῃ, ἀνάγκας εὕρηκεν, ᾗσιν ἡ φύσις ἀζήμιος βιασθεῖσα μεθίησιν· ἀνεθεῖσα δὲ δηλοῖ τοῖσι τὰ τῆς τέχνης εἰδόσιν, ἃ ποιητέα.
But when these things are not indicated, and nature itself does not willingly release them, medicine has found compulsory means, by which nature, being forced without harm, releases them; and when it is released, it reveals to those who know the things of the art what must be done.
Βιάζεται δὲ τοῦτο μὲν πῦρ τὸ σύντροφον φλέγμα διαχέειν σιτίων δριμύτητι καὶ πομάτων, ὅκως τεκμαρεῖταί τι ὀφθὲν περὶ ἐκείνων, ὧν αὐτῇ ἐν ἀμηχάνῳ τὸ ὀφθῆναι ἦν· τοῦτο δ’ αὖ πνεῦμα ὧν κατήγορον, ὁδοῖσί τε προσάντεσι καὶ δρόμοις ἐκβιᾶται κατηγορέειν·
And it forces, on the one hand, the inborn heat to disperse the phlegm by the sharpness of foods and drinks, so that it may infer something seen concerning those things of which the sight was impossible for it; on the other hand, it forces the breath, of which it is the accuser, to confess by steep paths and running.
ἱδρῶτάς τε τούτοισι τοῖσι προειρημένοισιν ἄγουσα, ὑδάτων θερμῶν ἀποπνοίῃσι πυρὶ ὅσα τεκμαίρονται, τεκμαίρεται.
And by bringing sweat with these aforementioned things, and by the exhalations of warm waters, it infers whatever is inferred by heat.
Ἔστι δὲ ἃ καὶ διὰ τῆς κύστιος διελθόντα ἱκανώτερα τὴν νοῦσον δηλῶσαί ἐστιν, ἢ διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐξιόντα.
There are also some things which, having passed through the bladder, are more capable of revealing the disease than those exiting through the flesh.
Ἐξεύρηκεν οὖν καὶ τοιαῦτα πόματα καὶ βρώματα, ἃ τῶν θερμαινόντων θερμότερα γιγνόμενα τήκει τε ἐκεῖνα καὶ διαῤῥεῖν ποιέει, ἃ οὐκ ἂν διεῤῥύη μὴ τοῦτο παθόντα.
It has therefore also devised such drinks and foods which, becoming hotter than hot things, melt those things and make them flow, which would not have flowed without undergoing this.
Ἕτερα μὲν οὖν πρὸς ἑτέρων, καὶ ἄλλα δι’ ἄλλων ἐστὶ τά τε διιόντα τά τ’ ἐξαγγέλλοντα, ὥστ’ οὐ θαυμάσιον αὐτῶν τάς τε ἀπιστίας χρονιωτέρας γίνεσθαι τάς τ’ ἐγχειρήσιας βραχυτέρας, οὕτω δι’ ἀλλοτρίων ἑρμηνειῶν πρὸς τὴν θεραπεύουσαν ξύνεσιν ἑρμηνευομένων.
Thus, some things are from some sources, and others through other channels, both those passing through and those reporting, so that it is not surprising that doubts about them become more prolonged, and the attempts at treatment become more restricted, being thus interpreted to the healing understanding through foreign interpretations.
§1313.
13.
Ὅτι μὲν οὖν καὶ λόγους ἐν ἑωυτῇ εὐπόρους ἐς τὰς ἐπικουρίας ἔχει ἡ ἰητρικὴ, καὶ οὐκ εὐδιορθώτοισι δικαίως οὐκ ἂν ἐγχειρέοι τῇσι νούσοισιν, ἢ ἐγχειρευμένας ἀναμαρτήτους ἂν παρέχοι, οἵ τε νῦν λεγόμενοι λόγοι δηλοῦσιν αἵ τε τῶν εἰδότων τὴν τέχνην ἐπιδείξιες, ἃς ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἥδιον ἢ ἐκ τῶν λόγων ἐπιδεικνύουσιν, οὐ τὸ λέγειν καταμελετήσαντες, ἀλλὰ τὴν πίστιν τῷ πλήθει ἐξ ὧν ἂν ἴδωσιν οἰκειοτέρην ἡγεύμενοι, ἢ ἐξ ὧν ἂν ἀκούσωσιν.
That medicine, therefore, has within itself rich arguments for assistance, and that it would not rightly attempt diseases that are not easily curable, or would present those attempted free from error, is shown both by the arguments now being spoken and by the demonstrations of those who know the art, which they demonstrate more gladly from deeds than from words, not because they have neglected speaking, but because they believe that trust for the multitude is more intimate from what they see than from what they hear.