of the epidemics-第1章
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400 BC
OF THE EPIDEMICS
by Hippocrates
translated by Francis Adams
OF THE EPIDEMICS
BOOK I。 Sect。 I。 First Constitution
1。 IN THASUS; about the autumn equinox; and under the Pleiades;
the rains were abundant; constant; and soft; with southerly winds; the
winter southerly; the northerly winds faint; droughts; on the whole;
the winter having the character of spring。 The spring was southerly;
cool; rains small in quantity。 Summer; for the most part; cloudy; no
rain; the Etesian winds; rare and small; blew in an irregular
manner。 The whole constitution of the season being thus inclined to
the southerly; and with droughts early in the spring; from the
preceding opposite and northerly state; ardent fevers occurred in a
few instances; and these very mild; being rarely attended with
hemorrhage; and never proving fatal。 Swellings appeared about the
ears; in many on either side; and in the greatest number on both
sides; being unaccompanied by fever so as not to confine the patient
to bed; in all cases they disappeared without giving trouble;
neither did any of them come to suppuration; as is common in swellings
from other causes。 They were of a lax; large; diffused character;
without inflammation or pain; and they went away without any
critical sign。 They seized children; adults; and mostly those who were
engaged in the exercises of the palestra and gymnasium; but seldom
attacked women。 Many had dry coughs without expectoration; and
accompanied with hoarseness of voice。 In some instances earlier; and
in others later; inflammations with pain seized sometimes one of the
testicles; and sometimes both; some of these cases were accompanied
with fever and some not; the greater part of these were attended
with much suffering。 In other respects they were free of disease; so
as not to require medical assistance。
2。 Early in the beginning of spring; and through the summer; and
towards winter; many of those who had been long gradually declining;
took to bed with symptoms of phthisis; in many cases formerly of a
doubtful character the disease then became confirmed; in these the
constitution inclined to the phthisical。 Many; and; in fact; the
most of them; died; and of those confined to bed; I do not know if a
single individual survived for any considerable time; they died more
suddenly than is common in such cases。 But other diseases; of a
protracted character; and attended with fever; were well supported;
and did not prove fatal: of these we will give a description
afterwards。 Consumption was the most considerable of the diseases
which then prevailed; and the only one which proved fatal to many
persons。 Most of them were affected by these diseases in the following
manner: fevers accompanied with rigors; of the continual type;
acute; having no complete intermissions; but of the form of the
semi…tertians; being milder the one day; and the next having an
exacerbation; and increasing in violence; constant sweats; but not
diffused over the whole body; extremities very cold; and warmed with
difficulty; bowels disordered; with bilious; scanty; unmixed; thin;
pungent; and frequent dejections。 The urine was thin; colorless;
unconcocted; or thick; with a deficient sediment; not settling
favorably; but casting down a crude and unseasonable sediment。 Sputa
small; dense; concocted; but brought up rarely and with difficulty;
and in those who encountered the most violent symptoms there was no
concoction at all; but they continued throughout spitting crude
matters。 Their fauces; in most of them; were painful from first to
last; having redness with inflammation; defluxions thin; small and
acrid; they were soon wasted and became worse; having no appetite
for any kind of food throughout; no thirst; most persons delirious
when near death。 So much concerning the phthisical affections。
3。 In the course of the summer and autumn many fevers of the
continual type; but not violent; they attacked persons who had been
long indisposed; but who were otherwise not in an uncomfortable state。
In most cases the bowels were disordered in a very moderate degree;
and they did not suffer thereby in any manner worth mentioning; the
urine was generally well colored; clear; thin; and after a time
becoming concocted near the crisis。 They had not much cough; nor it
troublesome; they were not in appetite; for it was necessary to give
them food (on the whole; persons laboring under phthisis were not
affected in the usual manner)。 They were affected with fevers; rigors;
and deficient sweats; with varied and irregular paroxysms; in
general not intermitting; but having exacerbations in the tertian
form。 The earliest crisis which occurred was about the twentieth
day; in most about the fortieth; and in many about the eightieth。
But there were cases in which it did not leave them thus at all; but
in an irregular manner; and without any crisis; in most of these the
fevers; after a brief interval; relapsed again; and from these
relapses they came to a crisis in the same periods; but in many they
were prolonged so that the disease was not gone at the approach of
winter。 Of all those which are described under this constitution;
the phthisical diseases alone were of a fatal character; for in all
the others the patients bore up well; and did not die of the other
fevers。
Sect。 II。 Second Constitution
1。 In Thasus; early in autumn; the winter suddenly set in rainy
before the usual time; with much northerly and southerly winds。
These things all continued so during the season of the Pleiades; and
until their setting。 The winter was northerly; the rains frequent;
in torrents; and large; with snow; but with a frequent mixture of fair
weather。 These things were all so; but the setting in of the cold
was not much out of season。 After the winter solstice; and at the time
when the zephyr usually begins to blow; severe winterly storms out
of season; with much northerly wind; snow; continued and copious
rains; the sky tempestuous and clouded; these things were
protracted; and did not remit until the equinox。 The spring was
cold; northerly; rainy; and clouded; the summer was not very sultry;
the Etesian winds blew constant; but quickly afterwards; about the
rising of Arcturus; there were again many rains with north winds。
The whole season being wet; cold; and northerly; people were; for
the most part; healthy during winter; but early in the spring very
many; indeed; the greater part; were valetudinary。 At first
ophthalmies set in; with rheums; pains; unconcocted discharges;
small concretions; generally breaking with difficulty; in most
instances they relapsed; and they did not cease until late in
autumn。 During summer and autumn there were dysenteric affections;
attacks of tenesmus and lientery; bilious diarrhoea; with thin;
copious; undigested; and acrid dejections; and sometimes with watery
stools; many had copious defluxions; with pain; of a bilious;
watery; slimy; purulent nature; attended with strangury; not connected
with disease of the kidneys; but one complaint succeeding the other;
vomitings of bile; phlegm; and undigested food; sweats; in all cases a
reduncance of humors。 In many instances these complaints were
unattended with fever; and did not prevent the patients from walking
about; but some cases were febrile; as will be described。 In some
all those described below occurred with pain。 During autumn; and at
the commencement of winter; there were phthisical complaints;
continual fevers; and; in a few cases; ardent