Hippocrates, De aere, aquis, locis, ed. William Henry Samuel Jones, 6

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

[6] Such are the conditions in these cities. Those that lie towards the settings of the sun, and are sheltered from the east winds, while the hot winds and the cold north winds blow past them—these cities must have a most unhealthy situation. In the first place, the waters are not clear, the reason being that in the morning mist is generally prevalent, which dissolves in the water and destroys its clearness, as the sun does not shine upon it before it is high on the horizon. In the summer cold breezes blow in the morning and there are heavy dews; for the rest of the day the sun as it advances towards the west thoroughly scorches the inhabitants, so that they are likely to be pale and sickly, subject to all the diseases aforesaid, for none are peculiar to them.¹ They are likely to have deep, hoarse voices, because of the atmosphere, since it is usually impure and unhealthy in such places. For while it is not clarified much by the north winds, which are not prevalent there, the winds that do prevail insistently are very rainy, such being the nature of westerly winds. Such a situation for a city is precisely like autumn in respect of the changes of the day, seeing that the difference between sunrise and afternoon is great.

De aere, aquis, locis. Hippocrates. ed. William Henry Samuel Jones. London. 1923.

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

Current edition Perseus

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

Editions (2)

De aere, aquis, locis First1KGreek (Hippocrates. Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, Vol. 2. Littré, Émile, editor. Paris: Baillière, 1840) — 6 focus

6. Ὁκόσαι δὲ πρὸς τὰς δύσιας κέονται, καὶ αὐτέῃσίν ἐστι σκέπη
τῶν πνευμάτων τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἠοῦς πνεόντων, τά τε θερμὰ πνεύματα
παραῤῥέει καὶ τὰ ψυχρὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρκτων, ἀνάγκη ταύτας τὰς
πόλιας θέσιν κέεσθαι νοσερωτάτην· πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τὰ ὕδατα οὐ
λαμπρά· αἴτιον δὲ, ὅτι ὁ ἠὴρ τὸ ἑωθινὸν κατέχει ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πουλὺ,
ὅστις τῷ ὕδατι ἐγκαταμιγνύμενος τὸ λαμπρὸν ἀφανίζει· ὁ γὰρ ἥλιος
πρὶν ἄνω ἀρθῆναι οὐκ ἐπιλάμπει. Τοῦ δὲ θέρεος, ἕωθεν μὲν αὖραι
ψυχραὶ πνέουσι, καὶ δρόσοι πίπτουσιν· τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἥλιος ἐγκαταδύνων
ὥστε μάλιστα διέψει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, διὸ καὶ ἀχρόους τε εἰκὸς
εἶναι καὶ ἀῤῥώστους, τῶν τε νοσευμάτων πάντων μετέχειν μέρος τῶν
προειρημένων· οὐδὲν αὐτέοισιν ἀποκέκριται. Βαρυφώνους τε εἰκὸς εἶναι καὶ βραγχώδεας διὰ τὸν ἠέρα, ὅτι ἀκάθαρτος ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ
πουλὺ αὐτόθι γίγνεται καὶ νοσώδης· οὔτε γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν βορείων ἐκκρίνεται
σφόδρα· οὐ γὰρ προσέχουσι τὰ πνεύματα· ἅ τε προσέχουσιν
αὐτέοισι καὶ προσκέονται, ὑδατεινότατά ἐστιν· ἐπεὶ τοιαῦτα
τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς ἑσπέρης πνεύματα· ἔοικέ τε μετοπώρῳ μάλιστα ἡ
θέσις ἡ τοιαύτη τῆς πόλιος κατὰ τὰς τῆς ἡμέρης μεταβολὰς, ὅτι
πουλὺ τὸ μέσον γίγνεται τοῦ τε ἑωθινοῦ καὶ τοῦ πρὸς τὴν δείλην. Περὶ
μὲν πνευμάτων, ἅ τέ ἐστιν ἐπιτήδεια καὶ ἀνεπιτήδεια, ὧδε ἔχει.

Περὶ ἀέρων, ὑδάτων, τόπων Perseus (Hippocrates, Vol. 1. Jones, William Henry Samuel, editor. London: William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1923 (printing).) — 6 focus

[6] περὶ μὲν τούτων ὧδε ἔχει. ὁκόσαι δὲ πρὸς τὰς δύσιας κεῖνται καὶ αὐτῇσίν ἐστι σκέπη τῶν πνευμάτων τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἠοῦς πνεόντων τά τε θερμὰ πνεύματα παραρρεῖ καὶ τὰ ψυχρὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρκτων, ἀνάγκη ταύτας τὰς πόλιας θέσιν κεῖσθαι νοσερωτάτην. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τὰ ὕδατα οὐ λαμπρά· αἴτιον δέ, ὅτι ὁ ἠὴρ τὸ ἑωθινὸν κατέχει ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ, ὅστις τῷ ὕδατι ἐγκαταμιγνύμενος τὸ λαμπρὸν ἀφανίζει· ὁ γὰρ ἥλιος πρὶν ἄνω 10 ἀρθῆναι οὐκ ἐπιλάμπει. τοῦ δὲ θέρεος ἕωθεν μὲν αὖραι ψυχραὶ πνέουσι καὶ δρόσοι πίπτουσι· τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἥλιος ἐγκαταδύνων ὥστε μάλιστα διέψει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, διὸ καὶ ἀχρόους τε εἰκὸς εἶναι καὶ ἀρρώστους, τῶν τε νοσευμάτων πάντων μετέχειν μέρος τῶν προειρημένων· οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀποκέκριται. βαρυφώνους τε εἰκὸς εἶναι καὶ βραγχώδεας διὰ τὸν ἠέρα, ὅτι ἀκάθαρτος ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ αὐτόθι γίνεται καὶ νοσώδης· οὔτε γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν βορείων ἐκκρίνεται σφόδρα· οὐ γὰρ προσέχουσι 20 τὰ πνεύματα· ἅ τε προσέχουσιν αὐτοῖσι καὶ πρόσκεινται ὑδατεινότατά ἐστιν· ἐπεὶ τοιαῦτα τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑσπέρης πνεύματα· ἔοικέν τε μετοπώρῳ μάλιστα ἡ θέσις ἡ τοιαύτη τῆς πόλιος κατὰ τὰς τῆς ἡμέρης μεταβολάς, ὅτι πολὺ τὸ μέσον 25 γίνεται τοῦ τε ἑωθινοῦ καὶ τοῦ πρὸς τὴν δείλην.

Translations (1)

Airs, Waters, and Places Perseus (Hippocrates, The Genuine Works of Hippocrates, Vol. 1. Adams, Francis, translator. New York: William Wood and Company, 1886.) — 6 focus

[6] But such cities as lie to the west, and which are sheltered from winds blowing from the east, and which the hot winds and the cold winds of the north scarcely touch, must necessarily be in a very unhealthy situation: in the first place the waters are not clear, the cause of which is, because the mist prevails commonly in the morning, and it is mixed up with the water and destroys its clearness, for the sun does not shine upon the water until he be considerably raised above the horizon. And in summer, cold breezes from the east blow and dews fall; and in the latter part of the day the setting sun particularly scorches the inhabitants, and therefore they are pale and enfeebled, and are partly subject to all the aforesaid diseases, but no one is peculiar to them. Their voices are rough and hoarse owing to the state of the air, which in such a situation is generally impure and unwholesome, for they have not the northern winds to purify it; and these winds they have are of a very humid character, such being the nature of the evening breezes. Such a situation of a city bears a great resemblance to autumn as regards the changes of the day, inasmuch as the difference between morning and evening is great. So it is with regard to the winds that are conducive to health, or the contrary.

Notes on the current edition

Airs Waters Places

1. αὐτοῖς may be either a dative of advantage or one of disadvantage. There can thus be two meanings:—
(1) for none are isolated to their advantage, i. e. they are exempt from none;
(2) for none are isolated to their disadvantage, i. e. they have no disease peculiar to themselves. I have taken the latter meaning, with Littré, but a good case could be made out for the former.

Hippocrates De aere, aquis, locis 6

ed. William Henry Samuel Jones

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Perseus

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers