Book 1
1
The whole weather proved southerly, with droughts, but early in the spring, as the previous constitution had proved the opposite and northerly, a few patients suffered from ardent fevers, and these very mild, causing hemorrhage in few cases and no deaths. Many had swellings beside one ear, or both ears, in most cases unattended with fever,Or, punctuating after ͂̔ωτα and πλείστοισιν, There were swellings beside the ears, in many cases on one side, but in most on both. The epidemio was obviously mumps. so that confinement to bed was unnecessary. In some cases there was slight heat, but in all the swellings subsided without causing harm; in no case was there suppuration such as attends swellings of other origin. This was the character of them:—-flabby, big, spreading, with neither inflammation nor pain; in every case they disappeared without a sign.That is, with no symptoms indicative of a crisis. The sufferers were youths, young men, and men in their prime, usually those who frequented the wrestling school and gymnasia. Few women were attacked. Many had dry coughs which brought up nothing when they coughed, but their voices were hoarse. Soon after, though in some cases after some time, painful inflammations occurred either in one testicle or in both, sometimes accompanied with fever, in other cases not. Usually they caused much suffering. In other respects the people had no ailments requiring medical assistance.That is, nobody was ill enough to make a visit to the physician’s surgery (ἱητρεῖον) necessary.
