GALEN’S COMMENTARIES ON THE APHORISMS OF HIPPOCRATES, REVISED BY THE TRANSLATOR NICCOLÒ LEONICENO OF VICENZA.

Ornamental woodcut initial 'H' with floral and vine motifs.THIS discourse, whether it be one aphorism or several, is held by almost all its expositors to be the proem of the entire work; yet as to what Hippocrates intended in judging that such a proem should be used, opinions differ not a little. Perhaps, indeed, we shall discover this very thing if we first consider the individual parts of the discourse more diligently. That he said life is short in comparison to the art is manifest to almost all the book's expositors. I believe he considers the art itself to be long for this reason: because it finds the opportunity for almost all its operations to be momentary, and for that reason difficult to grasp, so that no one can understand it unless he has been long exercised in it. And since there are two instruments necessary for discovering the arts—the one, namely experience, is dangerous; the other, judgment based on reason, is by no means easy; rather, like anything else, it possesses the greatest difficulty. The opportunity is therefore fleeting, because the matter with which the art is concerned is continually flowing; for our body is subject to changes, and is easily altered not only by extrinsic causes, but also by intrinsic ones. Experience is dangerous on account of the dignity of the matter, not on account of the ease of its change, for the latter is contained within the momentary opportunity. Judgment, if one (as I assert) understands it as reason, it is clear that it is most difficult, since it has remained ambiguous even unto this age. If, however (as some who call themselves empirics from their experience believe), he understands by judgment the discernment of those things that happen from experience, even so the difficulty of its correctness is not obscure. But that the author of the book is a dogmatic is shown throughout the whole commentary. Thus, the first part of the proem terminates at this point. He writes the second part not like one merely making a pronouncement, but like one taking counsel. Not only must the physician himself provide what is necessary, but also the patient, the attendants, and external circumstances. The force of these words is as follows: if you ought to seek out and examine the truth of those things written in this book, it is necessary not only that you, the physician, do all things that are fitting, but also that the patient, the assistants, and furthermore all external things fail in nothing. Thus the first part of the discourse comprises this one head: "Life is short, but the art long." For all the remaining things that follow demonstrate that the art is long. After this, the second part brings forward a kind of advice, or a compact, to those who are going to read and judge the book. But what does he mean by writing this at the very beginning of the book—that life is short if compared to the magnitude of the art?

APHORISM I.

Ornamental woodcut initial 'V' featuring a seated figure (possibly a scholar or deity) within a classical architectural frame.LIFE is short, but the Art long, the opportunity fleeting, experience dangerous, judgment difficult. Not only must the physician provide what is necessary, but also the patient, the attendants, and external circumstances.