Book 1
12
ἄσθματος ἰδέη τὸ πνευμῶδες, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύμονος τὸ πάθος ὅκως ἐπʼ ἄσθματι. ξυνὰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ παρεόντα· σμικρὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ διάφορον. δύσπνοια μὲν γὰρ καὶ βὴξ καὶ ἀγρυπνίη καὶ θέρμη ξυνά· καὶ ἀποσιτίη καὶ ἰσχνότης ὅλου. καὶ γὰρ ἐς χρόνονI follow Wigan and Ermerins in adopting this reading in place of αἰσχρὸν ὄν. τὸ κακὸν ἀποτείνεται, πλὴν οὐ περαιτέρω ἑνὸς ἔτεος. ἤν τε γὰρ τὸ μετόπωρον ἄρξῃ, εἰς τὸ ἔαρ ἢ τὸ θέρος ἀπογίγνονται· ἤν τε χειμὼν, ἐς τὸ μετόπωρον τελευτῶσι τὸν βίον. κοτὲ καὶ γέροντες ἁλῶναι Ῥηΐδιοι καὶ ἀπόφρικτοι ἁλόντες, ὅσον βραχείης Ῥοπῆς ἐς εὐνὴν θανάτου χρέος·I must say, I have never been able to satisfy myself with any interpretation of this passage which I have seen. Ermerins, indeed, very properly remarks, that in this sentence there is an indirect reference to a celebrated verse in the Oedipus Tyrannus of Sophocles; namely — σμικρὰ παλαιὰ σώματ’ εὐνάζει ῥοπή — that is, A slight inclination of the scale sets old persons asleep in death. But then ἀπόφρικτοι ἁλόντες create difficulty, inasmuch as the adjective never occurs elsewhere, as far as I am aware; and, moreover, I do not see how a shivering fit should necessarily occasion death. Instead of it, I would prefer ἀπόφρακτοι; that is to say, with the meaning, being seized with obstructed respiration. Still, however, there is a difficulty, inasmuch as it would not be easy to find any authority for this participle, although the verb be not uncommon. See Liddel and Scott. One might think of ἀπόπληκτοι, which would be a very suitable term, as this is a very natural cause of sudden death in asthma. ἄγχιστα ἅπαντες ἄπνοοι, σφυγμοὶ σμικροὶ, πυκνοὶ, ἀμυδροί. ἀλλὰ τάδε μὲν ξυνὰ πρὸς τὸ ἆσθμα· ἰδίᾳ δὲ ἀναβήσσουσι ὡς ἀνάξοντες. ματαιοπονέουσι δέ· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀνάγουσι. εἰ δέ τι τοῦ πλεύμονος ἀπορραγείη βίῃ, σμικρὸν, λευκὸν, στρογγύλον , χαλαζῶδες· θώρηξ εὐρύτερος μὲν, ἀδιάστροφος, ἠδὲ ἀνέλκωτος· ἢν δὲ ἀνεκπύητος ὁ πνεύμων ᾖ, ὑγρῶν δὲ ὁκοῖόν τι πεπηγότων ἔμπλεως, διαλήψιες τῶν παροξυσμῶν τοῦδε μέζονες. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀπεπνίγησαν θᾶσσον, πρίν τι κάκιον ἐς τὸ πᾶν ἀποσκῆψαι· μετεξετέροισι δὲ ἐς ὕδερον περὶ λαγόνα ἢ ἀνὰ σάρκα τὸ πάθος τελευτᾷ.
