PART 1
IN THASUS, about the autumn equinox, and under the Pleiades, the
rains were abundant, constant, and soft, with southerly winds; the
winter southerly, the northerly winds faint, droughts; on the whole,
the winter having the character of spring. The spring was southerly,
cool, rains small in quantity. Summer, for the most part, cloudy,
no rain, the Etesian winds, rare and small, blew in an irregular manner.
The whole constitution of the season being thus inclined to the southerly,
and with droughts early in the spring, from the preceding opposite
and northerly state, ardent fevers occurred in a few instances, and
these very mild, being rarely attended with hemorrhage, and never
proving fatal. Swellings appeared about the ears, in many on either
side, and in the greatest number on both sides, being unaccompanied
by fever so as not to confine the patient to bed; in all cases they
disappeared without giving trouble, neither did any of them come to
suppuration, as is common in swellings from other causes. They were
of a lax, large, diffused character, without inflammation or pain,
and they went away without any critical sign. They seized children,
adults, and mostly those who were engaged in the exercises of the
palestra and gymnasium, but seldom attacked women. Many had dry coughs
without expectoration, and accompanied with hoarseness of voice. In
some instances earlier, and in others later, inflammations with pain
seized sometimes one of
[p. 101]the testicles, and sometimes both; some of
these cases were accompanied with fever and some not; the greater
part of these were attended with much suffering. In other respects
they were free of disease, so as not to require medical assistance.
