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Hippocrates · On Superfetation §34-43

Remedies for Maiden's Amenorrhea and Perinatal Symptoms

Passage 7 of 7 · Greek

Summary

Describes the physical and mental symptoms caused by a virgin's lack of menstruation and their treatment, and presents various medical recipes and pessaries for postpartum uterine prolapse and pain, menorrhagia, and hemorrhaging in pregnant women.

§3434.
34.
Περὶ παρθένου· παρθένῳ ὁκόταν, τὰ ὡραῖα μὴ γένηται, χολᾷ καὶ πυρεταίνει καὶ ὀδυνᾶται, διψῇ καὶ πεινῇ, καὶ ἐξεμεῖ, καὶ μαίνεται καὶ πάλιν σωφρονέει, κινέονται αἱ μῆτραι, καὶ ὁκόταν μὲν πρὸς τὰ σπλάγχνα τράπωνται, ἐξεμεῖν καὶ πυρέσσειν καὶ παραφρονεῖν αὐτῇ ἔρχεται ὅταν δὲ ἀπολίπωσιν, πεινῇ καὶ διψῇ, καὶ ἠπίαλος πυρετὸς ἔχει.
About a virgin: when for a virgin her seasonable menses do not occur, she suffers from bile, has a fever, feels pain, thirsts, hungers, vomits, is mad, and again is sane; the womb is in motion. And when it turns toward the viscera, it happens to her to vomit, to have a fever, and to be delirious; but when they leave, she hungers, thirsts, and a mild fever holds her.
Χρὴ ταύτῃσιν ἀρνακίδας προστιθέναι θερμὰς πρὸς τὴν γαστέρα, καὶ ὑποκαπνίζειν ἐς αὐτὰ τὰ αἰδοῖα ὅτι μάλιστα ἐπ’ ἀμφορέως αὐχένι καθίσας· σμύρνης ὅσον κύαμον, λιβανωτὸν δὶς ὅσον, τοῦτο μίξας καὶ ζέας ἐρηριγμένας, ὁμοῦ θυμιῇν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ ἐπιβάλλων, νῆστις ὡς μάλιστα, καὶ λούειν πολλῷ θερμῷ.
It is necessary to apply warm sheepskins to the belly for these women, and to fumigate directly into the genitals as much as possible, having seated her on the neck of an amphora; mixing a bean's size of myrrh and twice as much frankincense, along with crushed emmer wheat, to fumigate together, throwing them upon the fire; let her be as fasting as possible, and bathe her with much warm water.
§3535.
35.
Προσθετόν· αἰγυπτίην στυπτηρίην μαλθακῷ εἰρίῳ περιειλήσασα προστιθέσθω.
Pessary: having wrapped Egyptian alum in soft wool, let her apply it.
Ἄλλο· ἀρτεμισίην τρίψας ἔν οἴνῳ τε λευκῷ δεύσας δίδου προστιθέναι.
Another: having ground mugwort, and having soaked it in white wine, give to apply.
§3636.
36.
Νεοτόκῳ γυναικί· ῥόδινον, σμύρναν, κηρὸν μίξαντά ἐν εἰρίῳ δοῦναι προστίθεσθαι·
For a woman who has recently given birth: having mixed rose oil, myrrh, and wax, give in wool to apply.
ὅταν δέ οἱ προσπέσωσιν αἲ μῆτραι, τὰ ξηρὰ καὶ στρυφνὰ προσφέρειν καὶ πίνειν καὶ προσέχειν.
And when the womb falls down for her, one must apply, give to drink, and administer dry and astringent things.
§3737.
37.
Σῦκον μέλαν, σκόροδον, λίτρον, κύμινον, ταῦτα πάντα τρίψας λεῖα, ἔν εἰρίῳ δοῦναι προστίθεσθαι.
Black fig, garlic, soda, cumin: having ground all these smooth, give in wool to apply.
Ἕτερον· σηπίης ὅστρακον κόψας λεῖον, ἐς οἶνον δεύσας, ἐν λαγωοῦ θριξὶ καὶ εἰρίῳ προστίθεσθαι.
Another: having crushed cuttlefish bone smooth, and having soaked it in wine, let her apply it in hare's hair and wool.
§3838.
38.
Ἢν δὲ μετὰ τόκον τὰς ὑστέρας ἀλγέῃ, πτισάνην καὶ πράσα καὶ στέαρ αἵγειον ἑψήσασα, ῥοφείτω τούτου ὡς ὄλίγιστον.
If she suffers pain in her womb after childbirth, having boiled barley gruel, leeks, and goat's fat, let her sup as little as possible of this.
§3939.
39.
Προσθετόν· λίτρον, κύμινον, σύκου τὸ ἴσον.
Pessary: soda, cumin, an equal amount of fig.
Καθαρτήριον προσθετὸν καὶ μαλθακτήριον· νέτωπον, ῥόδινον μύρον, χηνὸς ἄλειφαρ, ἐς ὀθόνια λεπτά.
Purifying and softening pessary: netopon, rose oil, goose grease, in thin linen cloths.
§4040.
40.
Ἢν τὰ ἐπιμήνια πολλὰ γένηται, γλυκυσίδης κόκκους τοὺς μέλανας δὶς ἑπτὰ πίνειν ἐν οἴνῳ δυσὶ κυάθοις.
If the menses are excessive, let her drink fourteen black peony seeds in two kyathoi of wine.
§4141.
41.
Ἢν δὲ ἐξέρχωνται αἱ μῆτραι πυκνὰ, βρέξας ὕδατι χλιερῷ τὰς μήτρας, ὑπτίην ἀνακλίνας, μίξας σίδιον, κηκίδα, ῥοῦν τὴν ἐρυθρὴν, ἐν οἴνῳ λευκῷ διατρίψας, τούτῳ χρίσας, ἐντιθέναι· ἔπειτα πῖσαι δάφνης φύλλα ἐν οἴνῳ αὐστηρῷ.
And if the womb falls out frequently, having moistened the womb with warm water, having laid her on her back, having mixed pomegranate peel, gall-nut, and red sumach, having ground them in white wine, having smeared them with this, one must insert it; then one must give her to drink laurel leaves in dry wine.
§4242.
42.
Ὅταν γυνὴ κύουσα προσρέηται, ὀνίδα ξηρὴν καὶ μίλτον καὶ ὄστρακον σηπίης τρίψασα λεῖα, ἐν ῥάκει ἀποδήσασα, προστιθέναι.
When a pregnant woman has a discharge, having ground dry donkey dung, red earth, and cuttlefish bone smooth, and having tied them in a rag, one must apply it.
§4343.
43.
Ἢν δὲ μὴ καθαρθῇ, ἐλατήριον ἐν οἴνῳ λευκῷ ὅσον κυάθῳ τρίψας ὀβολὸν ἀττικὸν, διδόναι πίνειν, καὶ καθαριεῖται.
And if she is not purified, having ground an Attic obol of elaterium in about a kyathos of white wine, one must give it to drink, and she will be purified.

Notes

  1. §34τὰ ὡραῖα — The neuter plural form of the adjective ὡραῖος ('seasonable', 'timely') used substantively as a euphemistic and idiomatic medical expression for the menses (menstruation).
  2. §34αὐτῇ ἔρχεται — An impersonal construction, or one taking the following infinitive clause (ἐξεμεῖν...) as its grammatical subject, meaning 'it happens to her to [vomit, etc.]'.
  3. §34καθίσας — Aorist active participle, masculine singular. Although the logical subject of the passive and active treatments refers to the female patient, this participle refers to the administering practitioner (the physician), representing a syntactic anacoluthon.
  4. §36προσέχειν — While commonly meaning 'to pay attention' (with τον νοῦν omitted), in medical texts it is often used transitively to mean 'to apply' or 'to administer' remedies directly to the affected part.
  5. §41πῖσαι — Aorist active infinitive of the causative verb πιπίσκω ('to give to drink', 'to make drink'), acting here as an infinitive of command, in contrast to the simple active verb πίνω ('to drink').

Cite this passage

Hippocrates, On Superfetation §34-43. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0627.tlg038.humanitext-grc1:34-43

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