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CASE VIII

In Abdera Anaxion, who lay sick by the Thracian gate, was seized with acute fever. Continuous pain

[p. 271] in the right side ; a dry cough, with no sputa on the first days. Thirst ; sleeplessness ; urine of good colour, copious and thin.

Sixth day. Delirium ; warm applications gave no relief.

Seventh day. In pain, for the fever grew worse and the pains were not relieved, while the coughing was troublesome and there was difficulty in breathing.

Eighth day. I bled him in the arm. There was an abundant, proper flow of blood ; the pains were relieved, although the dry coughing persisted.

Eleventh day. The fever went down ; slight sweating about the head ; the coughing and the sputa more moist.

Seventeenth day. Began to expectorate small, concocted sputa ; was relieved.

Twentieth day. Sweated and was free from fever ; after a crisis was thirsty, and the cleansings from the lungs were not favourable.

Twenty-seventh day. The fever returned ; coughing, with copious, concocted sputa ; copious, white sediment in urine ; thirst and difficulty in breathing disappeared.

Thirty-fourth day. Sweated all over ; no fever ; general crisis.1

1 I am conscious of a slight change in diction and method in this part of the Epidcmics. I mention four points :-- (1) The frequent use of πυρετὸς in the plural, which is unusual when it simply means "feverishness" (Cases VIII, IX, XII, XIII).

(2) καταβαίνω is used of evacuations (Cases VII, IX οὔρα . . . κατέβαινεν, XII).

(3) Treatment is mentioned (Case VIII, θερμάς1ματα, and ἀγκῶνα ἔταμον, where note the personal touch).

(4) ἱδρύνομαι used of recovery of reason, = κατανοῶ (Case XV). The change is marked enough to lead one to suppose that these histories were composed at a different period in the writer's life.

Hippocrates Collected Works I. Hippocrates. W. H. S. Jones. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1868.

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