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OF ARETÆUS, THE CAPPADOCIAN, ON THE CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF CHRONIC DISEASE
BOOK I.
CHAPTER IX.
[p. 344]
CHAPTER IV.
ON THOSE IN THE BLADDER.
OF the diseases in the bladder no one is mild: the acute
proving fatal by inflammation, wounds, spasm, and acute
fevers; while an ulcer, abcess, paralysis, or a large stone, are
chronic and incurable. For it (a large stone?) can neither be
broken by a draught, nor by medicine, nor scraped outwardly,
nor cut without danger. For the small ones of the bladder
are to be cut out, but the other proves fatal the same day, or in
a few days, the patients dying from spasms and fevers; or, if
you do not cut him, retention of the urine takes place, and
the patient is consumed slowly with pains, fevers, and wasting.
But if the stone is not very large, there is frequent suppression
of urine; for by falling readily into the neck of the bladder, it
prevents the escape of the urine. Although it be safer to cut
in these cases than for the large stones, still the bladder is cut;
and although one should escape the risk of death, still there is
a constant drain of water; and although this may not be dangerous,
to a freeman the incessant flow of urine is intolerable,
whether he walk or whether he sleep; but is particularly disagreeable
when he walks. The very small ones are commonly
cut without danger. If the stone adhere to the bladder, it
may be detected with care; and, moreover, such cases prove
troublesome from the pain and weight, even when there is no
dysuria, but yet the patient may have difficulty of making
water. You may diagnose all cases of stone by the sediments
of sand in the urine, and, moreover, they have the genital
parts enlarged by handling them; for when they make water,
and there is a stone behind, they are pained, and grasp and
drag the genital parts, as if with the intention of tearing out the
stone along with the bladder. The fundament sympathises by
becoming itchy, and the anus is protruded with the forcing
