Of The Epidemics   

BOOK I. Sect. I. First Constitution


1. IN THASUS, about the autumn equinox, and under the Pleiades,

the rains were abundant, constant, and soft, with southerly winds; the

winter southerly, the northerly winds faint, droughts; on the whole,

the winter having the character of spring. The spring was southerly,

cool, rains small in quantity. Summer, for the most part, cloudy, no

rain, the Etesian winds, rare and small, blew in an irregular

manner. The whole constitution of the season being thus inclined to

the southerly, and with droughts early in the spring, from the

preceding opposite and northerly state, ardent fevers occurred in a

few instances, and these very mild, being rarely attended with

hemorrhage, and never proving fatal. Swellings appeared about the

ears, in many on either side, and in the greatest number on both

sides, being unaccompanied by fever so as not to confine the patient

to bed; in all cases they disappeared without giving trouble,

neither did any of them come to suppuration, as is common in swellings

from other causes. They were of a lax, large, diffused character,

without inflammation or pain, and they went away without any

critical sign. They seized children, adults, and mostly those who were

engaged in the exercises of the palestra and gymnasium, but seldom

attacked women. Many had dry coughs without expectoration, and

accompanied with hoarseness of voice. In some instances earlier, and

in others later, inflammations with pain seized sometimes one of the

testicles, and sometimes both; some of these cases were accompanied

with fever and some not; the greater part of these were attended

with much suffering. In other respects they were free of disease, so

as not to require medical assistance.

2. Early in the beginning of spring, and through the summer, and

towards winter, many of those who had been long gradually declining,

took to bed with symptoms of phthisis; in many cases formerly of a

doubtful character the disease then became confirmed; in these the

constitution inclined to the phthisical. Many, and, in fact, the