Epidemics — First Draft Translation

1.1 In Thasos, during autumn around the equinox and under the Pleiades: much rain, continuous and gentle, with southerly winds. Winter southerly, little northerly, dry spells; on the whole, winter turned out like spring. Spring southerly, cool, with little rainfall. Summer for the most part overcast. No rain. The etesian winds blew little, slight, scattered. 1.2 In Thasos, early in autumn, storms out of season — sudden, with many southerly and northerly winds, wet and bursting forth. These conditions continued like this until the setting of the Pleiades and around the Pleiades. Winter northerly: much rain, violent, heavy, snow; mostly with breaks of clear sky. All of this happened, but the cold spells were not terribly unseasonable. Already after the winter solstice and when the west wind begins to blow, late-winter storms, much northerly, snow and much rain continuously, the sky squalling and overcast. These conditions held and did not let up until the equinox. Spring cold, northerly, rainy, overcast. Summer did not become very hot; the etesian winds blew continuously. But quickly around Arcturus, again much rain with northerly winds. 1.3 [XIII.] In Thasos, a little before Arcturus and at Arcturus: much heavy rain with northerly winds. Around the equinox and up to the Pleiades: southerly rain showers, few. Winter northerly, dry spells, cold, great winds, snow. Around the equinox the severest storms. Spring northerly, dry spells, few showers, cold. Around the summer solstice: little rain, great cold approaching until the Dog Star. After the Dog Star and until Arcturus: summer hot, great heat waves — not coming on gradually but continuous and violent; no rain; the etesian winds blew. Around Arcturus: southerly showers until the equinox. 1.4 [Case 1.] Philiscus lived near the wall. He took to his bed; on the first day, acute fever, sweating, distressed through the night. On the second, everything exacerbated; late in the day, after a small clyster, a good movement of the bowels; the night passed quietly. On the third, early and until midday, he seemed to become fever-free; but toward afternoon, acute fever with sweating, thirst, tongue drying out, dark urine; the night passed badly, he did not sleep, complete derangement throughout. On the fourth, everything exacerbated; urine dark; the night more bearable, urine of better color. On the fifth, around midday, a small drip of unmixed blood from the nostrils; urine varied, with rounded suspended matter, seed-like, scattered, not settling; on inserting a suppository, small flatulent passages. The night passed distressfully, little sleep, talking, rambling; extremities cold on all sides and no longer warming up again; he urinated dark; slept a little toward daybreak, lost his voice, cold sweat, extremities livid. On the sixth day he died. Throughout, his pneuma (breath) was sparse and large, as in one calling out. The spleen was raised with a rounded swelling. Cold sweats throughout. The exacerbations fell on even days. 3.1 [Case 1.] Pythion, who lived near the sanctuary of Earth: trembling began from the hands; on the first day, acute fever; rambling. On the second, everything exacerbated. On the third, the same. On the fourth, a little passed from the bowel — unmixed, bilious. On the fifth, everything exacerbated; sleep thin; bowel stopped. On the sixth, sputum varied, reddish. On the seventh, the mouth was drawn to one side. On the eighth, everything exacerbated, tremors persisted; the urine — from the beginning and through the eighth day — thin, colorless; it held a cloudy suspension. On the tenth, sweated, sputum somewhat concocted, crisis; urine somewhat thin around the crisis. After the crisis, forty days later, an empyema about the rectum, and a strangury-like apostasis [displacement of disease matter to a secondary site] developed. 3.2 The year southerly, rainy; calm throughout; when dry spells had occurred earlier, around Arcturus with southerly winds, much rain. Autumn shadowy, overcast, abundance of rains. Winter southerly, wet, mild after the solstice; then much later, near the equinox, late-winter storms, and already around the equinox northerly winds, snowy, not for long. Spring again southerly, calm; much rain throughout until the Dog Star. Summer clear, hot, great scorching heat; the etesian winds blew lightly and scattered; again around Arcturus with northerly winds, much rain. 3.3 [Case 1.] In Thasos, the man from Paros who lay ill above the Artemision: acute fever seized him, continuous from the start, burning; thirst; at the onset drowsy and then again sleepless; bowel disturbed at the start, urine thin. On the sixth day he passed oily urine, fell into derangement. On the seventh, everything exacerbated; slept not at all; urine similar, and the condition of his mind disturbed; bilious, fatty matter passed from the bowel. On the eighth, a small drip from the nostrils, he vomited a little greenish matter, slept briefly. On the ninth, through the same. On the tenth, everything relaxed. On the eleventh, sweated through the whole body; chilled, but quickly warmed again. On the fourteenth, acute fever, bilious, thin, copious stools, suspension in the urine, fell into derangement. On the seventeenth, distressed: neither sleep nor let-up of the fever, which intensified. On the twentieth, sweated through the whole body; fever-free, bilious stools, no appetite, drowsy. On the twenty-fourth, relapse. On the thirty-fourth, fever-free; bowel did not settle, and he became warm again. On the fortieth, fever-free; the bowel settled for a short time; no appetite; slight fever again and throughout in a wandering fashion — fever-free at times, then not; for whenever the fever would intermit and seem to lighten, it would quickly recur again. He subsisted on small amounts of food, and poor quality. Sleep bad; around the relapses he fell into derangement. His urine, when he voided anything thick at the time, was disturbed and bad. And the bowel settling and then loosening again. Slight continuous fevers. Stools thin, copious. He died on the one hundred and twentieth day. Throughout from the first, his bowel was continuously wet with bilious fluid in abundance, or when it settled, it fermented and remained unconcocted; urine bad throughout; mostly drowsy, sleepless with distress when awake, no appetite continuously.