Hippocrates, De prisca medicina, ed. William Henry Samuel Jones, 24

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[24] As I have said before, we must examine the powers of humours, and what the effect of each is upon man, and how they are related to one another. Let me give an example. If a humour that is sweet assumes another form, not by admixture, but by a self-caused change, what will it first become, bitter, or salt, or astringent, or acid? I think acid. Therefore where sweet humour is the least suitable of all, acid humour is the next least suitable to be administered.¹ If a man can in this way conduct with success inquiries outside the human body, he will always be able to select the very best treatment. And the best is always that which is farthest removed from the unsuitable.

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.) — 24 focus

24. Περὶ δὲ δυνάμιων χυμῶν, αὐτέων τε ἕκαστος ὅ τι δύναται
ποιέειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐσκέφθαι, καὶ πρότερον εἴρηται, καὶ τὰς ξυγγενείας
ὡς ἔχουσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους. Λέγω δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον· εἰ γλυκὺς χυμὸς
μεταβάλλοι ἐς ἄλλο εἶδος, μὴ ἀπὸ ξυγκρήσιος, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτὸς
ἐξιστάμενος, ποῖός τις πρῶτος γένοιτο, πικρὸς, ἢ ἁλμυρὸς, ἢ
στρυφνὸς, ἢ ὀξύς; Οἶμαι μὲν, ὀξύς. Ὁ ἄρα ὀξὺς χυμὸς ἀνεπιτήδειος προσφόρων ἂν τῶν λοιπῶν μάλιστα εἴη, εἴπερ ὁ γλυκύς
γε πάντων ἐπιτηδειότατος. Οὕτως, εἴ τις δύναιτο ζητέων
ἔξωθεν ἐπιτυγχάνειν, δύναιτ᾿ ἂν πάντων ἐκλέγεσθαι αἰεὶ τὸ
βέλτιστον· βέλτιστον δέ ἐστι τὸ προσωτάτω τοῦ ἀνεπιτηδείου
ἀπέχον.

Περὶ ἀρχαίας ἰατρικῆς Perseus (Hippocrates, Vol. 1. Jones, William Henry Samuel, editor. London: William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1923 (printing).) — 24 focus

[24] περὶ δὲ δυναμίων χυμῶν αὐτῶν τε ἕκαστος ὅ τι δύναται ποιεῖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐσκέφθαι, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον εἴρηται, καὶ τὴν συγγένειαν ὡς ἔχουσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους. λέγω δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον· εἰ γλυκὺς χυμὸς ἐὼν μεταβάλλοι ἐς ἄλλο εἶδος, μὴ ἀπὸ συγκρήσιος, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸς ἐξιστάμενος, ποῖός τις ἂν πρῶτος γένοιτο, πικρὸς ἢ ἁλμυρὸς ἢ στρυφνὸς ἢ ὀξύς; οἶμαι μέν, ὀξύς. ὁ ἄρα ὀξὺς χυμὸς ἀνεπιτήδειος προσφέρειν ἂν 10 τῶν λοιπῶν εἴη μάλιστα, εἴπερ ὁ γλυκὺς τῶν γεπάντων ἀνεπιτηδείοτατος. οὕτως εἴ τις δύναιτο ζητέων ἔξωθεν ἐπιτυγχάνειν, καὶ δύναιτο ἂν πάντων ἐκλέγεσθαι αἰεὶ τὸ βέλτιστον. βέλτιστον δέ ἐστι αἰεὶ τὸ προσωτάτω τοῦ ἀνεπιτηδείου 15 ἀπέχον.

Translations (1)

On Ancient Medicine Perseus (Hippocrates, The Genuine Works of Hippocrates, Vol. 1. Adams, Francis, translator. New York: William Wood and Company, 1886.) — 24 focus

[24] And, as has been formerly stated, one ought to be acquainted with the powers of juices, and what action each of them has upon man, and their alliances towards one another. What I say is this: if a sweet juice change to another kind, not from any admixture, but because it has undergone a mutation within itself; what does it first become?—bitter? salt? austere? or acid? I think acid. And hence, an acid juice is the most improper of all things that can be administered in cases in which a sweet juice is the most proper. Thus, if one should succeed in his investigations of external things, he would be the better able always to select the best; for that is best which is farthest removed from that which is unwholesome.

Notes on the current edition

Ancient Medicine

1. Because:—

(1) Health is a crasis of all the humours, none being in excess;

(2) Sweet humour passes readily into acid;

(3) Therefore, when sweet is the least suitable as a remedy (there being an excess of it already), acid (which is likely to be reinforced from the sweet) is the next least suitable.

Kéhlewein’s text makes sense only if we transpose ὀξύς and γλυκύς. If you want ὀξὺς χυμός for crasis you can get it best by adding ὀξύς, next best by adding γλυκύς, which naturally turns into ὀξύς.

Hippocrates De prisca medicina 24

ed. William Henry Samuel Jones

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