Hippocrates, De prisca medicina, ed. William Henry Samuel Jones, 21

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[21] In convalescence from illness, and also in protracted illnesses, many disturbances occur, some spontaneously and some from things casually administered. I am aware that most physicians, like laymen, if the patient has done anything unusual near the day of the disturbance—taken a bath or a walk, or eaten strange food, these things being all beneficial—nevertheless assign the cause to one of them, and, while ignorant of the real cause, stop what may have been of the greatest value. Instead of so doing they ought to know what will be the result of a bath unseasonably taken or of fatigue. For the trouble caused by each of these things is also peculiar to each, and so with surfeit or such and such food. Whoever therefore fails to know how each of these particulars affects a man will be able neither to discover their consequences nor to use them properly.

De prisca medicina. Hippocrates. ed. William Henry Samuel Jones. London. 1923.

Funding provided by National Library of Medicine History of Medicine Division.

Current edition Perseus

Ancient Medicine (English) (Hippocrates, Vol. 1. Jones, William Henry Samuel, translator. London: William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1923 (printing).)

Editions (2)

De prisca medicina First1KGreek (Hippocrates. Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, Vol. 1. Littré, Émile, editor. Paris: Baillière, 1839.) — 21 focus

21. Τὰ δ᾿ ἐν τῇσιν ἀνακομιδῇσι τῇσιν ἐκ τῶν νούσων, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐν
τῇσι νούσοισι τῇσι μακρῇσι γίνονται πολλαὶ ξυνταράξιες, αἱ μὲν
ἀπὸ ταυτομάτου, αἱ δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προσενεχθέντων τῶν τυχόντων.
Οἶδα δὲ τοὺς ἰητροὺς τοὺς πολλοὺς, ὡς τοὺς ἰδιώτας, ἢν τύχωσι περὶ
τὴν ἡμέρην ταύτην τι κεκαινουργηκότες, ὡς λουσάμενοι, ἢ περιπατήσαντες,
ἢ φαγόντεςτι ἑτεροῖον, ταῦτα δὲ πάντα βελτίω προσενηνεγμένα
ἢ μὴ, οὐδενὸς ἧσσον τὴν αἰτίην τουτέων τινὶ ἀνατιθέντας,
τὸ μὲν αἴτιον ἀγνοεῦντας, τὸ δὲ ξυμφορώτατον, ἢν οὕτω
τύχῃ, ἀφανίσαντας. Δεῖ δὲ οὔ· ἀλλ᾿ εἰδέναι τί λουτρὸν ἀκαίρως προσγενόμενον ἐργάσεται, καὶ τί κόπος. Οὐδέποτε γὰρ ἡ αὐτὴ
κακοπαθίη τουτέων, οὐδ᾿ ἑτέρου, οὐδέ γε ἀπὸ πληρώσιος, οὐδέ
γε ἀπὸ βρώματος τοίου ἢ τοίου. Ὅστις οὖν ταῦτα μὴ εἴσεται ὡς
ἕκαστα ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὔτε γινώσκειν τὰ γινόμενα ἀπ᾿ αὐτέων
δυνήσεται, οὔτε χρέεσθαι ὀρθῶς.

Περὶ ἀρχαίας ἰατρικῆς Perseus (Hippocrates, Vol. 1. Jones, William Henry Samuel, editor. London: William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1923 (printing).) — 21 focus

[21] ἐν τῇσιν ἀνακομιδῇσι τῇσιν ἐκ τῶν νούσων, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇσι νούσοισι τῇσι μακρῇσι γίνονται πολλαὶ συνταράξιες, αἱ μὲν ἀπὸ τωὐτομάτου, αἱ δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προσενεχθέντων τῶν τυχόντων. οἶδα δὲ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἰητρούς, ὥσπερ τοὺς ἰδιώτας, ἢν τύχωσι περὶ τὴν ἡμέρην ταύτην τι κεκαινουργηκότες, ἢ λουσάμενοι ἢ περιπατήσαντες ἢ φαγόντες τι ἑτεροῖον, ταῦτα δὲ πάντα βελτίω προσενηνεγμένα ἢ μή, οὐδὲν ἧσσον τὴν 10 αἰτίην τούτων τινὶ ἀνατιθέντας καὶ τὸ μὲν αἴτιον ἀγνοεῦντας, τὸ δὲ συμφορώτατον, ἢν οὕτω τύχῃ, ἀφαιρέοντας. δεῖ δὲ οὔ, ἀλλʼ εἰδέναι, τί λουτρὸν ἀκαίρως προσγενόμενον ἐργάσεται ἢ τί κόπος. οὐδέποτε γὰρ ἡ αὐτὴ κακοπάθεια τούτων οὐδετέρου, οὐδέ γε ἀπὸ πληρώσιος οὐδʼ ἀπὸ βρώματος τοίου ἢ τοίου. ὅστις οὖν ταῦτα μὴ εἴσεται ὡς ἕκαστα ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὔτε γινώσκειν τὰ 18 γινόμενα ἀπʼ αὐτῶν δυνήσεται οὔτε χρῆσθαι ὀρθῶς.

Translations (1)

On Ancient Medicine Perseus (Hippocrates, The Genuine Works of Hippocrates, Vol. 1. Adams, Francis, translator. New York: William Wood and Company, 1886.) — 21 focus

[21] During convalescence from diseases, and also in protracted diseases, many disorders occur, some spontaneously, and some from certain things accidentally administered. I know that the common herd of physicians, like the vulgar, if there happen to have been any innovation made about that day, such as the bath being used, a walk taken, or any unusual food eaten, all which were better done than otherwise, attribute notwithstanding the cause of these disorders, to some of these things, being ignorant of the true cause but proscribing what may have been very proper. Now this ought not to be so; but one should know the effects of a bath or a walk unseasonably applied; for thus there will never be any mischief from these things, nor from any other thing, nor from repletion, nor from such and such an article of food. Whoever does not know what effect these things produce upon a man, cannot know the consequences which result from them, nor how to apply them.

Hippocrates De prisca medicina 21

ed. William Henry Samuel Jones

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