Kitap 2
6
THE stomach is the president of pleasure and disgust, being an important neighbour to the heart for imparting tone, good or bad spirits, from the sympathy of the soul. This is the primary power of the stomach. These things have been described by me in another place. The offspring of pleasure are, good digestion, good condition, and good colour of the body; of disgust, their contraries, and also sometimes depression of spirits, when proper nutrition is wanting; and in melancholic patients, loathing of food. If, then, this organ be diseased, there is dislike and abomination of articles of food, not only if administered, but even if the food is not seen; nay, the very remembrance of them is attended with nausea, distress, water-brash, and heart-ache; and in certain cases there is salivation and vomiting. Even when the body wastes, provided their stomach remain empty, they bear this pain more easily than that produced by the administration of food. But if at any time they are compelled by necessity to take food, the pain is worse than hunger; the act of masticating in the mouth occasions sufferance, and to drink is a still greater pain. And it is not that they suffer thus from suitable food, and bear more unusual food well; owing to a change from that which is natural to the opposite, there is a painful sensation as to everything, an aversion to, and dislike of, all kinds of food. Along with these there is pain between the scapulæ, much greater after the administration of food or drink; loathing, distress, sight dull, noises of the ears, heaviness of the head, torpidity of the limbs, their joints sink under them; palpitation in the hypochondriac region; phantasy, as of the spine being moved towards the lower limbs; they seem as if carried about, now this way and now that, whether they stand, or lie down, like reeds or trees shaken by a gale of wind; they belch out a cold and watery phlegm. But if there be bile in bilious persons, they have dimness of sight, and no thirst, even when owing to the food they appear thirsty; are sleepless, torpid, drowsy, not from true sleep, but like those in comatose affections; emaciated, very pale, feeble, relaxed, imbecile, dispirited, timid, inactive, quick to passion, very moody; for such persons at times have fallen into a state of melancholy.
