The Canon of Medicine (Canon Medicinae), Vol. II

And the strength is indeed weakened more vehemently because of the weakness that is in the beginning, or the state, and the first half of the hour of increase is the hour in which the pulse begins to appear, and to be magnified, and to become quick: and heat is spread in the whole body according to equality, and the other half of it is the hour in which this heat spread with equality does not cease to be increased. And the hour of the state is the hour in which the heat remains spread with equality, and the accidents with their disposition; and the pulse is greater than ever, and is more vehemently quick, and frequent, and the hour of decline is the hour in which the diminution begins, and the pulse begins to be tempered, and is equalized. Then that in which the body begins to sweat, and leads to eradication. And often, indeed, a disposition happens near death, which is like the decline, and it is as if the sick person had escaped, and it is not fitting that you should be occupied in this, but rather that you know the disposition of the pulse, and whether it is magnified, and becomes strong. And if it seems to you, I will place for you an example of tertian. Attend therefore that with tertian in most dispositions gooseflesh begins, then cold, and rigor, afterwards the rigor is sedated, and the cold is lessened, and heating begins, afterwards the heating is equalized, then it is added, afterwards it stands, then it begins to be diminished until it is eradicated, and know that B. time of sickness. sickness is sometimes prolonged, either because of the multitude of the matter, or because of its thickness, or because of its coldness, and sometimes a cold time, a cold region, a cold age, the weakness of innate heat, and the solidity of the body help toward that.

Aphor. 12. Hippocrates taught how you should diagnose the times of diseases and accessions in 1. aph. when he writes: "the accessions and constitutions will judge the disease and the seasons of the year, and the successive increments of the circuits," etc. In this place, he proposes four sources, as it were: the disease, i.e., the species of the disease; the seasons of the year, i.e., the nature of the seasons; the successive increments of the circuits, this is, as Galen interprets, both the anticipation, length, and vehemence of the accessions, and the returns of the accessions; and soon the appearances, symptoms, and decretory signs: all of which Galen explains more fully in his commentaries on that place and in 1. On Crises. Therefore, the author in this place emulates Hippocrates, yet he amplifies the matter and adds other things. And first, indeed (although this is not read in some codices), the figure of the sick person: namely, if the face and body of the sick person were greatly thinned in the very first days, because this signifies much dissolution of the innate moisture, it also indicates an acute disease, and one that will be finished quickly. Hippocrates affirms this in 2. aph., "Of those suffering from fever," saying: "that the body does not remain at all lightly, and is not diminished at all, or even wastes away more than reason demands, is bad: for the former signifies the length of the disease, but the latter signifies weakness." This he also seems to testify in the book of Precepts, when he says, "in disease, tranquility signifies length." Avicenna adds the strengths of the sick person, which, if they collapse quickly, are signs of acute diseases.

Aphor. 28. Com. 6. Galen 3. Prognost. subscribes to this: "The easiest sicknesses of nature," he says, "it overcomes most quickly, but it is overcome most quickly by the most difficult." He also adds age, about which matter Galen 1. aph. says: "In a hot age and youthful (add also a body of a hot nature) and a hot region, diseases that are terminable quickly arrive: in a cold one, the opposites." He also adds the pulse. Namely, that from this, the impetuousness of the disease against the vital faculty and the power itself is plainly signified. He also adds the vigor: since, when a revocation of the innate heat to the internal parts happens in this: from its length and brevity, the thickness and thinness of the matter is shown; for the thicker it is, the less easily it is dissipated, so that the heat may be called back to the outside. When our author adds these to the first four sources proposed by Hippocrates, he also makes mention of those (which he indeed does in the first place) about which the old man also speaks; in which, however, there are controversies everywhere. And first, when he says [And dry spasm etc.] dealing with the nature of the disease, he places epilepsy and the stunned disease apoplexy among the very acute ones, but says that pure tertian and burning fever are not very acute diseases. But, since both epilepsy and apoplexy happen especially from cold matter, since those same diseases are mostly lacking in fever, while Galen testifies in 1. aph. that it is always joined with acute diseases, they do not seem to be correctly referred among acute diseases: especially if you compare them to tertian and burning fever. But in brief, this matter was spoken of by us elsewhere also. Apoplexy is the most acute disease, and sometimes also epilepsy, not certainly by grace of the matter, which, since it is cold, gives intervals for curing, nor does it make the symptoms more severe by its own nature. But by grace of the affected part, because the ways of the spirits, which are the ministers and instruments of life, are obstructed, they kill most easily, and are most acute diseases, which, however, are properly called acute by Galen 3. On the Difficulty of Respiration, with which it is not necessary that fever also be joined. But another disagreement appears in this place in these words [And sometimes from the motion of the sickness etc. If the accessions are short, he asserts that the disease is solved quickly, if not, the opposite.] But Galen 3. On Crises, where accessions are produced, says they are continuous: indeed, continuous fevers are shorter than interpolated intermittent ones. Therefore, when the accessions of diseases are short in the beginning, where they are produced, it is an indication of relief; and the disease arrives more quickly to the state and solution. Truly to this, if you compare an interpolated fever to an interpolated one, and a continuous to a continuous, whose accessions are shorter, the fever will also be shorter: namely, a smaller amount and less thick matter is signified to be present. Otherwise, if you have compared an intermittent to continuous ones. For then, when in continuous ones the matter is within the veins, it is kindled more promptly, than if it were outside the veins, and the disease becomes shorter because of it. Thus also if you compare one time to another, there is no doubt that accessions, where they were short in the beginning, if they are produced afterwards (if one magnitude and anticipation is present) will be signs of the next state and swifter solution. For though if you compare the same time to the same, beginning to beginning, and increase to increase. Avicenna, therefore, compared interpolated to interpolated, and the same time to the same time. But there is again a doubt in these words, "And sometimes it is from the strength etc." He says that acute disease is signified by the weakness of the strengths. But Galen 2. On the Differences of Fevers testifies that the weakness of the faculty is a cause of the length of the disease. But in brief, there is no controversy.

Cognition of particular hours etc.] He teaches the particular times of accessions. For which matter, seek Galen, book On the Times of Disease. You also have it beautifully from Aetius, book 5.

Aphor. 7.

cap. 9.

cap. 4.

cap. 3. & ult.

cap. 3. cap. 11. & deinceps.

Universal discourse on ephemeral fevers. Chapter 5.

Another letter. Second treatise.

a B. extrinsic and sometimes some of them are.

A large, ornamental initial "C" begins the chapter, featuring scrolling vine motifs typical of sixteenth-century printing.

The causes of all species of ephemeral fever are primitive causes heating essentially, and heating by accident, from the sum of occurrences, and things taken, i.e., in food and in drink, and bodily and animal passions, and from pains, and abscesses a [appearing, and some of them are] from obstructions, the cause of which is not primitive, and they do not arise

AVIC. Vol. 2.