Aphorisms of Hippocrates

part and an inferior part; its elementary part and its alimentary part, if it has been used as food. In the nature of the medicament, in the following [considerations], the magnitude and quantity of the medicament are observed, as well as the time—such as whether it is fresh or old—the region, and its qualities, such as its promptness to act upon something or to suffer, its passible qualities, and the shape of it and its parts: thus, [its] action and passion. These things being known, one must approach other things which ought to regard the medicament, and first [to] the human body, to which it must be joined; and in it, it must be considered whether its composition and structure are aided or harmed by this medicament: whether the temperament, humors, spirits, and individual parts—especially the principal ones—the faculties, and finally the actions receive aid or harm: to such an extent that the danger may be greater than the future assistance; for if the medicament harms either the whole body or some of the aforesaid primary parts, it will be called an experiment, and likewise if it aids, when the physician has had no knowledge of the human body and its parts. Furthermore, the physician should know the disease, its genera, differences, definition, the material from which it draws its origin, its form, parts, and properties. For example, a tertian fever: its genera, in what it differs from other fevers, what it is, from what humor it proceeds, what the heat is, the parts of the fever, and what are proper to this fever: for if he is ignorant of these, either all or some, undoubtedly if he has applied the medicament, it will be called an experiment, whether it aids or harms. He should also see the present symptoms and foresee the future ones. If he does not do this, in the same manner, whether the medicament aids or harms, it will be called an experiment. The same must be said of the circumstances: for this place demands that which that medicament rejects: thus [with] the time of year, constitution, occasion, mode, and instruments: for if a purgative