Peri tōn periptōmatōn tēs prōtēs pepseōs disputatio

27. Of the Melancholic, they are few, dry, flatulent, and dark.

17. From lifestyle: Those who lead a sedentary life excrete soft, pale, foul-smelling matter; but those whose bodies are constantly exercised produce few, hard, dry stools.

18. Pathology considers health and unhealthiness in excrements, because these two are observed no less in the contents than in the solid parts, although primarily in the latter, and only secondarily in the former.

19. It therefore weighs the form of the excrements medically, insofar as they exist either according to nature or contrary to it.

20. And excrements considered contrary to nature are either symptoms or the proximate causes of diseases.

21. They are symptoms when they deviate in substance, quantity, quality, mode of excretion, or in the place and time of excretion.

22. In substance, both proper and essential, as well as foreign and adventitious.

23. Proper, if they are either too thick or too liquid.

24. Foreign, which they receive through the admixture of another substance; this is either:
Spirituous, such as air or flatulence.
Humorous, such as blood, phlegm, both types of bile, ichors, fat.
Solid, such as small pieces of flesh, membranes, pits, stones, etc.

25. In quantity:
Discrete, if they are excreted more or less frequently than is customary.
Continuous, if the egestions are copious or meager with respect to the ingested food.

26. In quality, if they are excreted hot, cold, moist, dry, sharp, biting, if they are white, red, black, or variegated; if they exit with noise and clamor, or if they smell excessively foul.