第3章

9。Menbecomeaffectedwiththestone,andareseizedwithdiseasesofthekidneys,strangury,sciatica,andbecomeruptured,whentheydrinkallsortsofwaters,andthosefromgreatriversintowhichotherrivuletsrun,orfromalakeintowhichmanystreamsofallsortsflow,andsuchasarebroughtfromaconsiderabledistance。Foritisimpossiblethatsuchwaterscanresembleoneanother,butonekindissweet,anothersaltishandaluminous,andsomeflowfromthermalsprings;andthesebeingallmixeduptogetherdisagree,andthestrongestpartalwaysprevails;butthesamekindisnotalwaysthestrongest,butsometimesoneandsometimesanother,accordingtothewinds,forthenorthwindimpartsstrengthtothiswater,andthesouthtothat,andsoalsowithregardtotheothers。Theremustbedepositsofmudandsandinthevesselsfromsuchwaters,andtheaforesaiddiseasesmustbeengenderedbythemwhendrunk,butwhynottoallIwillnowexplain。Whenthebowelsarelooseandinahealthystate,andwhenthebladderisnothot,northeneckofthebladderverycontracted,allsuchpersonspasswaterfreely,andnoconcretionformsinthebladder;butthoseinwhomthebellyishot,thebladdermustbeinthesamecondition;andwhenpreternaturallyheated,itsneckbecomesinflamed;andwhenthesethingshappen,thebladderdoesnotexpeltheurine,butraisesitsheatexcessively。Andthethinnestpartofitissecreted,andthepurestpartispassedoffintheformofurine,butthethickestandmostturbidpartiscondensedandconcreted,atfirstinsmallquantity,butafterwardsingreater;forbeingrolledaboutintheurine,whateverisofathickconsistenceitassimilatestoitself,andthusitincreasesandbecomesindurated。Andwhensuchpersonsmakewater,thestoneforceddownbytheurinefallsintotheneckofthebladderandstopstheurine,andoccasionsintensepain;sothatcalculouschildrenrubtheirprivypartsandtearatthem,assupposingthattheobstructiontotheurineissituatedthere。AsaproofthatitisasIsay,personsaffectedwithcalculushaveverylimpidurine,becausethethickestandfoulestpartremainsandisconcreted。Thusitgenerallyisincasesofcalculus。Itformsalsoinchildrenfrommilk,whenitisnotwholesome,butveryhotandbilious,foritheatsthebowelsandbladder,sothattheurinebeingalsoheatedundergoesthesamechange。AndIholdthatitisbettertogivechildrenonlythemostdilutedwine,forsuchwillleastburnupanddrytheveins。Calculidonotformsoreadilyinwomen,forinthemtheurethraisshortandwide,sothatinthemtheurineiseasilyexpelled;neitherdotheyrubthepudendumwiththeirhands,norhandlethepassagelikemales;fortheurethrainwomenopensdirectintothepudendum,whichisnotthecasewithmen,neitherinthemistheurethrasowide,andtheydrinkmorethanchildrendo。Thus,ornearlyso,isitwithregardtothem。

10。Andrespectingtheseasons,onemayjudgewhethertheyearwillprovesicklyorhealthyfromthefollowingobservations:-Iftheappearancesconnectedwiththerisingandsettingstarsbeastheyshouldbe;ifthereberainsinautumn;ifthewinterbemild,neitherverytepidnorunseasonablycold,andifinspringtherainsbeseasonable,andsoalsoinsummer,theyearislikelytoprovehealthy。Butifthewinterbedryandnortherly,andthespringshoweryandsoutherly,thesummerwillnecessarilybeofafebrilecharacter,andgiverisetoophthalmiesanddysenteries。Forwhensuffocatingheatsetsinallofasudden,whiletheearthismoistenedbythevernalshowers,andbythesouthwind,theheatisnecessarilydoubledfromtheearth,whichisthussoakedbyrainandheatedbyaburningsun,while,atthesametime,men\'sbelliesarenotinanorderlystate,northebrainproperlydried;foritisimpossible,aftersuchaspring,butthatthebodyanditsfleshmustbeloadedwithhumors,sothatveryacutefeverswillattackall,butespeciallythoseofaphlegmaticconstitution。Dysenteriesarealsolikelytooccurtowomenandthoseofaveryhumidtemperament。

AndifattherisingoftheDogstarrainandwinterystormssupervene,andiftheetesianwindsblow,thereisreasontohopethatthesediseaseswillcease,andthattheautumnwillbehealthy;butifnot,itislikelytobeafatalseasontochildrenandwomen,butleastofalltooldmen;andthatconvalescentswillpassintoquartans,andfromquartansintodropsies;butifthewinterbesoutherly,showeryandmild,butthespringnortherly,dry,andofawintrycharacter,inthefirstplacewomenwhohappentobewithchild,andwhoseaccouchementshouldtakeplaceinspring,areapttomiscarry;andsuchasbringforth,havefeebleandsicklychildren,sothattheyeitherdiepresentlyoraretender,feeble,andsickly,iftheylive。Suchisthecasewiththewomen。Theothersaresubjecttodysenteriesanddryophthalmies,andsomehavecatarrhsbeginningintheheadanddescendingtothelungs。Menofaphlegmatictemperamentarelikelytohavedysenteries;andwomen,also,fromthehumidityoftheirnature,thephlegmdescendingdownwardsfromthebrain;thosewhoarebilious,too,havedryophthalmiesfromtheheatanddrynessoftheirflesh;theaged,too,havecatarrhsfromtheirflabbinessandmeltingoftheveins,sothatsomeofthemdiesuddenlyandsomebecomeparalyticontherightsideortheleft。

Forwhen,thewinterbeingsoutherlyandthebodyhot,thebloodandveinsarenotproperlyconstringed;aspringthatisnortherly,dry,andcold,havingcomeon,thebrainwhenitshouldhavebeenexpandedandpurged,bythecoryzaandhoarsenessisthenconstringedandcontracted,sothatthesummerandtheheatoccurringsuddenly,andachangesupervening,thesediseasesfallout。

Andsuchcitiesasliewelltothesunandwinds,andusegoodwaters,feelthesechangesless,butsuchasusemarshyandpoolywaters,andliewellbothasregardsthewindsandthesun,theseallfeelitmore。Andifthesummerbedry,thosediseasessooncease,butifrainy,theyareprotracted;andthereisdangerofanysorethatthereisbecomingphagedenicfromanycause;andlienteriesanddropsiessuperveneattheconclusionofdiseases;forthebowelsarenotreadilydriedup。Andifthesummerberainyandsoutherly,andnexttheautumn,thewintermust,ofnecessity,besickly,andardentfeversarelikelytoattackthosethatarephlegmatic,andmoreelderlythanfortyyears,andpleurisiesandperipneumoniesthosethatarebilious。Butifthesummerisparchedandnortherly,buttheautumnrainyandsoutherly,headacheandsphacelusofthebrainarelikelytooccur;andinadditionhoarseness,coryza,coughs,andinsomecases,consumption。Butiftheseasonisnortherlyandwithoutwater,therebeingnorain,neitheraftertheDogstarnorArcturus;

thisstateagreesbestwiththosewhoarenaturallyphlegmatic,withthosewhoareofahumidtemperament,andwithwomen;butitismostinimicaltothebilious;fortheybecomemuchparchedup,andophthalmiesofadrynaturesupervene,feversbothacuteandchronic,andinsomecasesmelancholy;forthemosthumidandwaterypartofthebilebeingconsumed,thethickestandmostacridportionisleft,andofthebloodlikewise,whenthesediseasescameuponthem。Butallthesearebeneficialtothephlegmatic,fortheyaretherebydriedup,andreachwinternotoppressedwithhumors,butwiththemdriedup。

11。Whoeverstudiesandobservesthesethingsmaybeabletoforeseemostoftheeffectswhichwillresultfromthechangesoftheseasons;

andoneoughttobeparticularlyguardedduringthegreatestchangesoftheseasons,andneitherwillinglygivemedicines,norapplythecauterytothebelly,normakeincisionsthereuntiltenormoredaysbepast。Now,thegreatestandmostdangerousarethetwosolstices,andespeciallythesummer,andalsothetwoequinoxes,butespeciallytheautumnal。Oneoughtalsotobeguardedabouttherisingofthestars,especiallyoftheDogstar,thenofArcturus,andthenthesettingofthePleiades;fordiseasesareespeciallyapttoprovecriticalinthosedays,andsomeprovefatal,somepassoff,andallotherschangetoanotherformandanotherconstitution。

Soitiswithregardtothem。