Articella (The Little Art of Medicine) (1483) - Page 23

that is, the body as a whole?
it receives? as? a habit?
of the body?

the body. Nor should one lead compressions to the extreme, for it is deceptive; but one should lead them according to the nature of the one who sustains them.

Similarly? emptyings?
to the? extreme?
an emptying? is? an evacuation?
which? conquers? excessive?
extreme? which? purges? more?

Similarly, evacuations original: "inanitiones" that lead to the extreme are deceptive; and again, recoveries original: "resumptiones" that end in the extreme are deceptive.

Here? he also? notes?
what? Hypo.? intends?
in the? preceding?
In this? one? however?
he acts? regarding? the quantity?
of purging?
He begins? however? from?
fullness?

In the preceding exposition, we said that the intention of Hypo. Hippocrates concerned the quality of purging; in this and the following one, he intends to address the quantity of purging. He begins, however, with the extremity of fullness and its corresponding evacuation. In doing so, as is his custom, he introduces a certain analogy, which in bodies that exercise is thickness. He understood this as artificial, and, if I may say so, instrumental. In this, athletes and wrestlers palestrite wrestlers/gymnasts finish their days. Absolute thickness in certain people who exercise, such as plowmen and the like, is praiseworthy, because it is not in their extreme fullness, nor is it so troublesome. But the thickness introduced by analogy is most blameworthy, as its intention is the magnification of the body, in which, without a doubt, the chimi chyme/nutritive fluids are increased to nourish the members of the whole body. For when these are magnified, it is impossible for the body not to be magnified beyond measure. And this kind of thickness is deceptive and troublesome. For if the vessels are filled beyond measure, there is fear that they might suddenly burst, or the natural heat may be suffocated, whence many have been extinguished by sudden death, their bodies reaching the extremity of fullness. But natural thickness in plowmen is praiseworthy, since it does not arrive at the extremity of fullness. Whence, as it is not necessary to diminish the body for this reason due to the suspected trouble—a necessity of prior diminution that Hypo. touched upon, when he said it could not remain in the same state nor rest. For nature, when it always digests food, sends it to the places destined for it, the liver also changes it into blood, and delegates it to the members of the whole body, and adapts the members to its own likeness. But when it reaches a point where it cannot take more, and there is no empty place in the veins where the chimi can be taken, it is necessary that the veins be ruptured, or that one be intercepted by sudden death, because the natural heat is extinguished, just as we see in a lamp that does not overflow with oil, as if it were being recreated by its own fuel. If it exceeds that amount, it must be extinguished. Therefore, one must hasten to diminish this extremity, so that the body has competent space to receive its own nourishment, nor yet should it be diminished to the extreme. For extremity is easier in fullness than in evacuation. Nor is quantity alone to be considered in purging, but the strength of the body and nature, because the diversity of bodies discordantly tolerates the quantity in purging. As we said, Hypo. introduces this thickness of those who exercise as an analogy, so that by this, the preceding things are continued to the subsequent ones, where he adds: Similarly, evacuations that lead to the extreme are deceptive; and again, recoveries that exist in the extreme are deceptive. From which words it is implied that we should not push either fullness or evacuation to the extreme. Indeed, thickness in those who exercise, if the chimi are tempered and the strength is strong and suitable, is praised. Therefore, in fullness that exists at an extremity, it is necessary to hasten an evacuation, which, since it should not be brought to the extreme in these as in plowmen, neither will it be brought to the extreme in others. In every purging, therefore, strength is to be considered, and thus finally, according to one's ability, the abundance is purged. For if strength fails, the purging is to be restrained, even if all the abundance has not exited. Thus he said: Recoveries that exist in the extreme are deceptive. If you wish to continue this to the previous remark, and understand it regarding the extreme fullness of these bodies,

fullness?
it can? indeed?
according to? this?
understanding?

it can indeed be accepted according to this understanding. If, however, according to some, he repeats the same thing, albeit with different words, since he said that all evacuations leading to the extreme are similarly deceptive, he wished to make us attentive not to push an evacuation to the extreme because it is deceptive. Likewise, he has refined the point that excessive refection original: "refectione" (recovery/eating) is to be avoided, because excessive refection is deceptive when it follows an excessive evacuation, since the strength of the evacuation has failed, and it cannot change the food as it ought, nor assimilate it to the members. If it is understood in this way: two parts of the sentence of Hypo. are evacuated, namely, the extremity of fullness and the thickness in athletes. But because he said "And again," he hints that this is different from the former. Thus far he has spoken of the solution and repletion of the habit, now there follows the habit in a passion already induced, and the measure of diet, which is as follows.

Thin? and? certain?
diets?

Thin and certain diets in long-lasting passions and in acute diseases to which difficult [diets] do not agree. To the extreme of thinness: which difficult diets bring about. And again, recoveries that exist in the extreme are difficult.

In the? preceding?
Hypo.? intends?
regarding? the extremity?

In the preceding, Hypo. intends to speak of the extremity of every mode of evacuation and recovery; in this, however, his intention is regarding the ordering of the diet of the infirm. Therefore, in a long-lasting disease, a thin diet is always deceptive, but in an acute one, it does not always agree. For since in many acute diseases it is necessary to use a subtle diet, in certain acute ones, the extremity of thinness must be given; otherwise, the diets will be extremely thin, just as when all food is taken away, only mellicratum honey-water will be given until the critical day. However, a subtle diet does not consist in the extremity of the smallness of food, or in rare food, such as ptisana barley-water/tisane, which is little nourishing. A subtle diet is to be given because of the failure of strength, to sustain which we order a little bit to be given. But for the healthy, diet is varied in many ways: either for the sake of preservation, as was their custom, or so that it may augment and comfort their strength. Therefore, food will again augment; a moderate diet will preserve; a subtle diet will diminish strength, and therefore it is to be avoided by the healthy. In the infirm, strength should not be augmented, but guarded as it is found, as in long-lasting passions, or not diminished much, as in acute ones, in which, if it is augmented or guarded, the disease is augmented. In which acute disease a thinnest and certain diet [is needed], and where a thin one is to be given, Hypo. hints in the original: "ptisonoromato" (likely referring to a specific commentary on the use of ptisana); which we shall then discuss when we explain that book; for here we have proposed to speak briefly and little. If the strength of the infirm is not strong in the state of the disease, if the disease is to be determined on the fourth day or before, all food should be removed, which a thinnest and certain diet overcomes. If, however, in the state [of the disease] he is doing well, and the limit does not pass the seventh day, only mellicratum honey-water is to be given, which is a subtle diet, though not in the extreme. If, however, we do not trust the strength, we give strained ptisana barley-water, which is a subtle diet, but not in the extreme. But unstrained ptisana is not a subtle diet, unless it is given in small quantity, nor is it gross like wheat broth, eggs, fish, and the like. Thus he said: In acute diseases to which it does not agree: he understood this concerning those that are acute, of which he will also speak later when... original: "Ubi vo sm acumē egritudo sybinfert" (text appears truncated in manuscript).

In? thin?
diets?

In thin diets, the sick err; and therefore they are more harmed. For every error, however great it may be, happens more in thin diets, because