EPIDEMICS I AND III

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