PART 16
XVI. And I believe that of all the powers
1 none
hold less sway in the body than cold and heat. My
reasons are these. So long as the hot and cold in the
body are mixed up together, they cause no pain. For
the hot is tempered and moderated by the cold, and
the cold by the hot. But when either is entirely separated
from the other, then it causes pain. And at
that season, when cold comes upon a man and causes
him some pain, for that very reason internal heat
first is present quickly and spontaneously, without
needing any help or preparation. The result is the
same, whether men be diseased or in health.
For instance, if a man in health will cool his
body in winter, either by a cold bath or in any
other way, the more he cools it (provided that his
body is not entirely frozen) the more he becomes
hotter than before when he puts his clothes on and
enters his shelter. Again, if he will make himself
thoroughly hot by means of either a hot bath of
a large fire, and afterwards wear the same clothes
and stay in the same place as he did when chilled, he
feels far colder and besides more shivery than before.
Or if a man fan himself because of the stifling heat
and make coolness for himself, on ceasing to do this
in this way he will feel ten times the stifling heat felt
by one who does nothing of the sort.
Now the following is much stronger evidence still.
All who go afoot through snow or great cold, and
become over-chilled in feet, hands or head, suffer at
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night very severely from burning and tingling when
they come into a warm place and wrap up ; in some
cases blisters arise like those caused by burning in
fire. But it is not until they are warmed that they
experience these symptoms. So ready is cold to pass
into heat and heat into cold. I could give a multitude
of other proofs. But in the case of sick folk, is it
not those who have suffered from shivering in whom
breaks out the most acute fever? And not only is it
not powerful, but after a while does it not subside,
generally without doing harm all the time it remains,
hot as it is? And passing through all the body it
ends in most cases in the feet, where the shivering
and chill were most violent and lasted unusually long.
Again, when the fever disappears with the breaking
out of the perspiration, it cools the patient so that
he is far colder than if he had never been attacked at
all. What important or serious consequence, therefore,
could come from that thing on which quickly
supervenes in this way its exact opposite, spontaneously
annulling its effect?
2 Or what need has it of
elaborate treatment?
