[p. 141]
INTRODUCTION
THESE two books manifestly form one work, and
that the most remarkable product of Greek science.
Pretensions to literary form it has none, yet no
Greek writer, with the possible exception of Thucy-dides,
has used language with better effect. Often
ungrammatical, sometimes a series of disconnected
words, the narrative is always to the point, and
always conveys the impression that the writer's sole
object is to express observed facts in the fittest and
shortest way.
The composition shows violent dislocations. There
come first two "constitutions,"
| "Constitution" is the traditional translation of κατάστασισ2,
climatic conditions of such a marked type as to give
a distinguishing character to a period of time. The word is
also used of diseases, and so on, to denote a fixed type prevalent
at any particular time. |
then two short
paragraphs on the duty of the physician and on
certain symptoms respectively, then another constitution,
then a few paragraphs on fevers, then
fourteen clinical histories. The third book begins
with twelve more histories, which are followed by
a fourth constitution, at the end of which is another
disconnected paragraph, and the book closes with
sixteen histories.
Dislocations due to the ancient methods of copying
manuscripts are common enough in classical authors,
but startling changes like the above are not such as
