THE EPISTLE

medical original: "medicos," continuing from the previous page treatments are usually held, in arduous and difficult diseases, since they contain all the necessary primary medical intentions intentions: "intentiones" in Renaissance medicine refers to the specific therapeutic goals or plans a physician forms to treat a patient in order, according to the intention of the most learned Princes of Medicine, and especially Hippocrates, Galen, and Avicenna: I would therefore have you commit these to your memory by reading them very frequently: when you are free from public lectures and desire to reason with me (as you write). Nor would I wish for these words to be thought of as spoken arrogantly by you—namely, that in this one Epistle you can speak fearlessly, aptly, distinctly, ornately, and learnedly about all medical intentions among the most learned physicians, if you are ever called to speak to those illustrious Princes and Nobles, especially if you wish to apply to them those things which you learn in daily studies and readings of both Galen and also Avicenna. I want you to be urged never to set aside these two most eminent authors. And, so that you may have that which you write you desire with all your mind, [I provide it] through a way, or Method shown with brevity, by which you may recognize affections contrary to nature affections contrary to nature: "affectus praeter naturam," a standard term for diseases or pathological states, and restore men so affected to a natural habit i.e., a state of health, where the thing is possible: but if they cannot be restored to health at all, at least you should know how to predict future outcomes from these, so they may know you lack no part of the medical art, which can perform things not repugnant to nature. Now receive the summary of the proposed matter, divided into two parts: for

Introduction one of the parts looks toward the knowledge and prediction of the disease, while the other teaches the rational cure. You must understand the first part through the diligent knowledge of ten things.

The first of these is the disease and its essence: The second is the cause: The third is the accidents, or Symptoms: The fourth is the temperament: The fifth is the Power, or Powers original: "Virtus," referring to the vital, natural, or animal faculties of the body: The sixth is age: The seventh is sex: The eighth is custom or habit/lifestyle: The ninth is the air: The tenth is the time of year.

Furthermore, the knowledge of these ten stated things necessarily requires the knowledge of all the parts of the body, which we have through dissection,
Anatomy (which is called Anatomy). Since I know you are exceptionally well-versed in this knowledge of anatomy, and hear that you exercise yourself daily in anatomical matters, I have mentioned it not so that you might learn it now for the first time, but so that you may demonstrate it as something most exactly known to your fellow students and listeners, since from the science of dissection we most perfectly grasp the causes of the powers and operations. For healthy actions proceed if the members are unharmed. They will indeed be unharmed if [they maintain their] substance, temperament, quantity, number, position, [and] figure,