On Medical Matters

and whatever appears to have a quality suitable to the poisonous original: "κακουργουμένοις" drugs. And concerning those original: "τῶν" drunk in original: "ἐν" harsh wines, or in broths, or in sweet wine, or in honey-mead, or in must, or in juices, or in lentils, or in barley-meal original: "ἀλφίτοις", or in some other things that are offered as communal food; whence, one who suspects must decline prepared original: "κατηρτυμένα" dishes and guard against every intensified quality of flavors, as many as are preserved through sweets or salts or acids. And those who are thirsty or hungry through exertion should not drink or eat suddenly, paying attention to the quality of these things, but above all, should drink cold water beforehand; for when the appetite is satisfied, the qualities thereafter become easily detectable original: "εὐκατάλεπτοι". And concerning those who are ill, we rightly decline the potions of drugs that appear original: "δοκούντων" to be given for benefit, which those who act wickedly with poisons bring in; so that through—

6. Thus Lacuna; common reading katargoumenois made inactive; Marcellus kathartikois purgative.
7. Cornarius adds "eaten and."
8. Cornarius adds "in food or."
9. What is commonly interpolated, "or in drugs," is not in Codex X, nor accepted by ancient translators, nor does it seem to belong to this place.
10. Best read thus from Paulus Cornarius, just as Lucian, On the Writing of History, p. 206, calls broths that are full of excessive seasonings "well-seasoned" katartismenos. The common "prepared" katertismena does not fit.
11. Thus it must be read from Paulus 5, 27, who transcribed all these things; Saracenus advised this. Common: "most indigestible." Cornarius: "most unchangeable."
12. I have inserted dokounton seeming, at the urging of Saracenus, and omitted "from (the)" common, in whose place Codex X has "concerning."

...and if anything else seems compatible with drugs possessed of a baneful power. Or they insert them into drinks, such as harsh wines, broths, raisin wine, honey-water, must, or various kinds of juices, or they mix them into lentils or barley-meal or other things offered under the guise of food. For this reason, suspicious persons must avoid dishes seasoned with excessive aromatics and abstain from every intense flavor of sweets, salts, or acids. Furthermore, they should not drink greedily when thirsty, nor devour greedily when hungry, but should observe the nature of these things, and especially take cold water as a drink beforehand. For once the appetite is satisfied, the (harmful) qualities are easily detected. As for the sick, we rightly refuse potions customarily given under the pretext of aid, which the wicked practitioners of poisoning offer; whereby it happens that the sick—