Book 2
9
ἐπέχει δὲ τήνδε ἢ λίθος, ἢ ἐγγιγνομένη φλεγμονὴ, ἢ αἱμάλωψ, ἤ τι τοιόνδε· εὖτε ἐκ ξυμπαθίης μὲν τῆς διὰ τὴν ἰδέην τοῦ σώματος κακὸν γίγνεται οὐδὲν, ἡ δὲ ἐπίσχεσις τῶν οὔρων πάντα τὰ δεινὰ πρήσσει.Here, again, nearly all the translators and editors have misunderstood the meaning of the passage from not perceiving that σώματος is here applied not to the whole body, but to the organ or part of the body of which the author is treating, namely, the kidneys. It would be superfluous to multiply references to passages in which Aretæus applies σῶμα to a particular part of the body. See Morb. Diut. i. 10; Curat. Morb. Diut. i. 13; also Galen, De Locis Affectis, i.9. Indeed Aristotle applies it expressly to the kidneys, in the sense of the fleshy part of the organ, or viscus, H. A. i. 17, 15. The meaning of the passage in question, therefore, evidently is, that no mischief from sympathy arises in this case, owing to the peculiar nature of the affected viscus itself, but the retention of the urine produces most horrible mischief. Wigan translates the passage thus, — reliqui corporis species, nullo affectus ex consensu, perturbatur. Boerhaave thus: — quandoquidem ex consensu affectionis ob formam corporis provenientis nulla creatur offensio; and Ermerins thus: quo facto nullum quidem malum oritur propter cæterarum partium cum renis subitantia consensum. Of these translations that of Ermerins approaches nearest to the true import of the passage. The other two have no distinct meaning. πῦρ μὲν γὰρ δριμὺ, ἀσῶδες, ὀδύνη κατʼ ὀσφὺν ἐπὶ Ῥάχι βαρεῖα, διάτασις τῶν μερῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸ ὑποχόνδριον· οὔρου ἐπίσχεσις, οὐκ ἐς τὸ πάμπαν, ἀλλὰ στάγδην μὲν οὐρέουσι, ἐπιθυμίη δὲ πολλὸν ἐκχέαι· πλημμύρης γὰρ αἴσθησις. ἢν δὲ καὶ τὸ οὖρον δριμὺ καὶ δακνῶδες ἐγγένηται, ψύξιες, τρόμοι, σπασμοὶ , διατάσιες καὶ πληρώσιες τῶν ὑποχονδρίων· ἰκέλη ἡ ξυμφορὴ ἥδε καὶ ξυναίσθησις γίγνεται τοῖσι ἀπὸ πλήθεος σιτίων καὶ διαφθορῆς ἐμφυσηθεῖσι τὴν κοιλίην· σφυγμοὶ τὰ πρῶτα μὲν ἀραιοὶ, νωθροί· ἢν δὲ ἐπὶ μᾶλλον τὸ κακὸν πιέζῃ, σμικροὶ, πυκνοὶ, ταραχώδεες , ἄτακτοι, ὕπνοι λεπτοὶ, ὀδυνώδεες, οὐ διηνεκέες, καὶ ἐξαπίνης ἐκθορνύμενοι ὡς ὑπὸ νύξιος, εἶτα ὑποφέρονται ἐς κῶμα, ὡς ὑπὸ καμάτου· τὴν γνώμην οὐ κάρτα παράφοροι, ληρώδεες, πελιδνοὶ τὰ πρόσωπα· ἢν δὲ ἥκῃ αὖθίς κοτε τῆς οὐρήσιος ἡ προθυμίη, ἐπὶ σπασμοῖσι καὶ μεγάλῃσι ὀδύνῃσι βραχὺ ἂν καὶ στάγδην ἐξέκρινε, εὖτε σμικρὸν ἐπανῆκε τῶν πόνων· εἶτα ἐς τὰ αὐτὰ παλινδρομέες· ὀξύτατα δὲ θνήσκουσι τῶνδε οἷσιν οὐδὲν ἐκκρίνει, ὁκόσοι δὴ θνήσκουσι· οἱ πλεῦνες γὰρ περιγίγνονται, ἢ τοῦ λίθου ἐς τὴν κύστιν διὰ τῶν οὔρων ἐκπεσόντος, ἢ τῆς φλεγμονῆς ἐς πῦον τρεπομένης, ἢ κατὰ βραχὺ διαπνεομένης. ἢν γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ σμικρὸν ἐνδεῶς διεξίῃ τὸ οὖρον Ῥηϊδίως διαδιδρήσκουσι τὸν ὄλεθρον·The text in all the mss. is evidently vitiated. I have adopted the emendations partly of Wigan and partly of Ermerins. The reforms of the latter are sometimes too radical for my conservative judgment. χρόνῳ δὲ μακρῷ φθίνουσι τὴν ἕξιν. ὀρθῶς τάδε οἱ νοσέοντες πάσχουσι, καὶ καταγίγνονται ἐς σύντηξιν ὑποφερόμενοι. ὧραι δὲ καὶ χῶραι καὶ ἡλικίαι φέρουσι, αἵπερ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὰς κοίλας φλέβας.
