[p. 285]
rare and large ; took no notice of anything ; she
constantly wrapped herself up ; either much rambling
or silence throughout. In many ways this case, though one of the
most
picturesque, is also one of the most carelessly written.
Galen points out that διὰ Χπόνον is ambiguous, and that its
possible meanings are inconsistent with the rest of the
description. How can the respiration be ἀραιόν throughout,
when on both the fourteenth and the twentieth days the
patient was βραχύπνοοσ2 ? It is strange that the writer
specifies the fourteenth day as the day when the respiration
was rare and large, seeing that it had these characteristics
throughout. A similar remark applies to ἀναισθήτως εἰχε
πάντων of the seventeenth day. Further, ἀεὶ σιγῶσα of the
second sentence becomes strangely ἣ λόγοι χολλοὶ ἣ σιγῶσα
διὰ τέλεος2 in the last. I conclude that this medical history
was hastily written and never revised. A slight revision
could easily have cleared away the inconsistencies, which
are, as Galen seems to have seen, more apparent than real. |
CASE XVI
In Meliboea a youth took to his bed after being
for a long time heated by drunkenness and sexual
indulgence. He had shivering fits, nausea, sleeplessness,
but no thirst.
First day. Copious, solid stools passed in abundance
of fluid, and on the following days the excreta were
copious, watery and of a greenish yellow. Urine
thin, scanty and of no colour ; respiration rare and
large with long intervals ; tension, soft underneath,
of the hypochondrium, extending out to either
side ; continual throbbing throughout of the epigastrium ;So
Littré, following Galen. Perhaps, however, it means
" heart," i. e. there was violent palpitation. | urine oily.
Tenth day. Delirious but quiet, for he was orderly
and silent ; Said by Galen, followed by Littré (who reads
ἥσυχοσ2 for
σιγῶν), to refer to the character of the young man when well,
which interpretation to modern minds is rather inconsistent
with the first sentence. They would paraphrase, " the
delirium was really serious, but appeared slight because the
patient was naturally self-controlled and calm." I take the
meaning to be that though delirious he remained quiet and
comparatively silent. | skin dry and tense ; stools either
copious and thin or bilious and greasy.
|