§88.
8.
Ὀφείλει οὖν, τουτέων ὧδε ἐχόντων, ὁκόσα μὲν τῶν νουσημάτων χειμῶνος αὔξεται, θέρεος λήγειν, ὁκόσα δὲ θέρεος αὔξεται, χειμῶνος λήγειν, ὁκόσα μὴ αὐτέων ἐν περιόδῳ ἡμερέων ἀπαλλάσσεται·
Therefore, since these things are so, all diseases that increase in winter ought to cease in summer, and those that increase in summer ought to cease in winter, unless any of them are resolved within a period of days; and I shall explain the period of days hereafter.
τὴν δὲ περίοδον αὖθις φράσω τὴν τῶν ἡμερέων. Ὁκόσα δὲ ἦρος γίνεται νουσήματα, προσδέχεσθαι χρὴ φθινοπώρου τὴν ἀπάλλαξιν ἔσεσθαι αὐτέων· ὁκόσα δὲ φθινοπωρινὰ νουσήματα, τουτέων τοῦ ἦρος ἀνάγκη τὴν ἀπάλλαξιν γενέσθαι·
And of the diseases that occur in spring, one should expect their cessation to be in autumn; and of autumn diseases, the cessation must of necessity occur in spring.
ὅ τι δ’ ἂν τὰς ὥρας ταύτας ὑπερβάλλῃ νούσημα, εἰδέναι χρὴ ὡς ἐνιαύσιον αὐτὸ ἐσόμενον.
And whatever disease exceeds these seasons, one must know that it will be of a year's duration.
Καὶ τὸν ἰητρὸν οὕτω χρὴ ἰῆσθαι τὰ νουσήματα ὡς ἑκάστου τουτέων ἰσχύοντος ἐν τῷ σώματι κατὰ τὴν ὥρην τὴν αὐτῷ κατὰ φύσιν ἐοῦσαν μάλιστα.
And the physician must treat diseases in such a way, on the principle that each of these elements is at its strongest in the body according to the season which is most according to its own nature.
§99.
9.
Εἰδέναι δὲ χρὴ καὶ τάδε πρὸς ἐκείνοισιν, ὅτι ὁκόσα πλησμονὴ τίκτει νουσήματα, κένωσις ἰῆται, ὁκόσα δὲ ἀπὸ κενώσιος γίνεται νουσήματα, πλησμονὴ ἰῆται, ὁκόσα δὲ ἀπὸ ταλαιπωρίης γίνεται, ἀνάπαυσις ἰῆται, ὁκόσα δ’ ὑπ’ ἀργίης τίκτεται, ταλαιπωρίη ἰῆται.
And one must also know these things in addition to those: that all diseases which repletion breeds, evacuation cures; and those that arise from evacuation, repletion cures; and those that arise from exertion, rest cures; and those bred by idleness, exertion cures.
Τὸ δὲ ξύμπαν γνῶναι, δεῖ τὸν ἰητρὸν ἐναντίον ἵστασθαι τοῖσι καθεστεῶσι καὶ νουσήμασι καὶ εἴδεσι καὶ ὥρῃσι καὶ ἡλικίῃσι, καὶ τὰ ξυντείνοντα λύειν, καὶ τὰ λελυμένα ξυντείνειν· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν μάλιστα τὸ κάμνον ἀναπαύοιτο, ἥ τε ἴησις τοῦτό μοι δοκέει εἶναι.
To know the whole matter, the physician must stand opposed to the established conditions, diseases, constitutions, seasons, and ages, and relax what is tense, and make tense what is relaxed; for in this way the sick man would best find rest, and this seems to me to be the nature of cure.
Αἱ δὲ νοῦσοι γίνονται, αἱ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν διαιτημάτων, αἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος, ὃ ἐσαγόμενοι ζῶμεν.
Diseases arise, some from regimen, and others from the air which we draw in and live by.
Τὴν δὲ διάγνωσιν χρὴ ἑκατέρου ὧδε ποιέεσθαι· ὁκόταν μὲν ὑπὸ νουσήματος ἑνὸς πολλοὶ ἄνθρωποι ἁλίσκωνται κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον, τὴν αἰτίην χρὴ ἀνατιθέναι τουτέῳ ὅ τι κοινότατόν ἐστι καὶ μάλιστα αὐτέῳ πάντες χρεώμεθα· ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο ὃ ἀναπνέομεν.
And the diagnosis of each must be made as follows: whenever many men are seized by one disease at the same time, the cause must be attributed to that which is most common and which we all use most; and this is what we breathe.
Φανερὸν γὰρ δὴ ὅτι τά γε διαιτήματα ἑκάστου ἡμέων οὐκ αἴτιά ἐστιν, ὅτε ἅπτεται πάντων ἡ νοῦσος ἑξῆς καὶ τῶν νεωτέρων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ ἀνδρῶν ὁμοίως, καὶ τῶν θωρησσομένων καὶ τῶν ὑδροποτεόντων, καὶ τῶν μάζαν ἐσθιόντων καὶ τῶν ἄρτον σιτευμένων, καὶ τῶν πολλὰ ταλαιπωρεόντων καὶ τῶν ὀλίγα·
For it is clear indeed that the regimen of each of us is not the cause, when the disease attacks all in succession, both the younger and the older, women and men alike, both those who drink wine and those who drink water, those who eat barley-cake and those who feed on bread, and both those who exert themselves much and those who do so little.
οὐκ ἂν οὖν τά γε διαιτήματα αἴτια εἴη, ὁκόταν διαιτεύμενοι πάντας τρόπους οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἁλίσκωνται ὑπὸ τῆς αὐτέης νούσου.
Therefore, regimen cannot be the cause, whenever men living in every sort of way are seized by the same disease.
Ὁκόταν δὲ αἱ νοῦσοι γίνωνται παντοδαπαὶ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον, δῆλον ὅτι τὰ διαιτήματά ἐστιν αἴτια ἕκαστα ἑκάστοισι, καὶ τὴν θεραπείην χρὴ ποιέεσθαι ἐναντιούμενον τῇ προφάσει τῆς νούσου, ὥσπερ μοι πέφρασται καὶ ἑτέρωθι, καὶ τῇ τῶν διαιτημάτων μεταβολῇ.
But whenever diseases of all kinds occur at the same time, it is clear that the individual regimens are the cause for each, and the treatment must be made by opposing the cause of the disease, just as has been explained by me elsewhere, and by the change of regimen.
Δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι οἷσί γε χρέεσθαι εἴωθεν ὥνθρωπος διαιτήμασιν, οὐκ ἐπιτήδειά οἵ ἐστιν ἢ πάντα, ἢ τὰ πλείω, ἢ ἕν γέ τι αὐτέων·
For it is clear that the regimen which the man is accustomed to use is not suitable for him, either all of it, or the greater part, or some one element of it.
ἃ δεῖ καταμαθόντα μεταβάλλειν, καὶ σκεψάμενον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὴν φύσιν τήν τε ἡλικίην καὶ τὸ εἶδος καὶ τὴν ὥρην τοῦ ἔτεος καὶ τῆς νούσου τὸν τρόπον, τὴν θεραπείην ποιέεσθαι, ποτὲ μὲν ἀφαιρέοντα, ποτὲ δὲ προστιθέντα, ὥσπερ μοι καὶ πάλαι εἴρηται, πρὸς ἕκαστα τῶν ἡλικιέων καὶ τῶν ὡρέων καὶ τῶν εἰδέων καὶ τῶν νούσων ἔν τε τῇσι φαρμακείῃσι προτρέπεσθαι καὶ ἐν τοῖσι διαιτήμασιν.
Having learned this, one must change it, and having examined the nature of the man, his age, constitution, the season of the year, and the manner of the disease, one must perform the treatment, sometimes taking away, sometimes adding, just as has been said by me long ago, prompting both in medicines and in regimens according to each of the ages, seasons, constitutions, and diseases.
Ὁκόταν δὲ νουσήματος ἑνὸς ἐπιδημίη καθεστήκῃ, δῆλον ὅτι οὐ τὰ διαιτήματα αἴτιά ἐστιν, ἀλλ’ ὃ ἀναπνέομεν, τοῦτο αἴτιόν ἐστι, καὶ δῆλον ὅτι τοῦτο νοσηρήν τινα ἀπόκρισιν ἔχον ἀνίει.
But when an epidemic of a single disease is established, it is clear that regimen is not the cause, but that which we breathe, this is the cause, and it is clear that this is releasing some unhealthy secretion.
Τοῦτον οὖν χρὴ τὸν χρόνον τὰς παραινέσιας ποιέεσθαι τοῖσιν ἀνθρώποισι τοιάσδε· τὰ μὲν διαιτήματα μὴ μεταβάλλειν, ὅτι γε οὐκ αἴτιά ἐστι τῆς νούσου, τὸ δὲ σῶμα ὁρῆν, ὅκως ἔσται ὡς ἀογκότατον καὶ ἀσθενέστατον, τῶν τε σιτίων ἀφαιρέοντα καὶ τῶν ποτῶν, οἷσιν εἰώθει χρέεσθαι, κατ’ ὀλίγον (ἢν γὰρ μεταβάλλῃ ταχέως τὴν δίαιταν, κίνδυνος καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μεταβολῆς νεώτερόν τι γενέσθαι ἐν τῷ σώματι, ἀλλὰ χρὴ τοῖσι μὲν διαιτήμασιν οὕτω χρέεσθαι, ὅτε γε φαίνεται μηδὲν ἀδικέοντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον)·
Therefore, at this time, one must give such advice to men: not to change their regimens, since they are not the cause of the disease, but to see that the body is as unbloated and as weak as possible, by taking away little by little from the food and drink they are accustomed to use (for if one changes the regimen quickly, there is a risk that some new disturbance will arise in the body from the change itself; rather, one must use regimens in this way, since they are seen to do no harm to the man).
τοῦ δὲ πνεύματος ὅκως ἡ ῥύσις ὡς ἐλαχίστη ἐς τὸ στόμα ἐσίῃ καὶ ὡς ξενωτάτη ἔσται, προμηθέεσθαι, τῶν τε χωρίων τοὺς τόπους μεταβάλλοντα ἐς δύναμιν, ἐν οἷσιν ἂν ἡ νοῦσος καθεστήκῃ, καὶ τὰ σώματα λεπτύνοντα· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἥκιστα πολλοῦ τε καὶ πυκνοῦ πνεύματος χρῄζοιεν οἱ ἄνθρωποι.
And one must take precaution that the flow of breath enters the mouth as little as possible and as foreign as possible, by changing as far as possible the locality of the places in which the disease is established, and by thinning the bodies; for in this way men would have the least need of much and frequent breath.