Sexta: medicina.
The Two Parts of Medicine
Medicine is divided into two parts: occasions and operations.
Medicine is divided into two parts: occasions and operations.
The Six Occasions of Health
The six occasions—air, movement and rest, emptying and repletion, food and drink, sleep and waking, and accidents of the soul—are named and explained as factors that produce or disturb health according to moderation or excess.
There are six occasions: air, movement and rest, emptying and repletion, food and drink, sleep and waking, and accidents of the soul. These things are called occasions because they produce and preserve health when they are moderated, but when they are immoderate, they produce illness. Accidents of the soul are called an occasion of health or illness because sometimes they stir up heat violently, as anger does, or gently, as pleasures do, or they draw in and conceal, either violently, as terror and fear, or gently, as distress. And there are things that stir up natural power within and without, such as sadness.
Operations of Medicine
Medical operations are described as internal or external, including potions, vomits, poultices, plasters, and surgery on flesh and bone.
Every operation of medicine takes place either internally or externally: internally, as with things introduced through the mouth, nostrils, ears, or anus, such as potions, vomits, powders, and so on. Things are taken externally by drinking, chewing, or inhaling; externally, as with liquids, poultices, plasters, and surgery, which is twofold: in the flesh, as cutting, sewing, and burning; in the bone, as setting and restoring joints.
Food and Drink in Their Proper Respect
The author defends counting food and drink among medicine's concerns by showing that the same thing belongs to different arts according to different respects, using wine and food preparation as examples.
Let it trouble no one that I count food and drink among the attributes of medicine, which above were assigned to hunting, because this is done according to different respects. Wine, you see, in the grape-cluster belongs to farming, in the storehouse to the cellar, in the tasting to the physician. In the same way, the preparation of foods pertains to the mill, the market, and the kitchen; but the property of flavor pertains to medicine.
Read the original Latin
Medicina dividitur in duas partes, occasiones et operationes. occasiones sex sunt: aer, motus et quies, inanitio et repletio, cibus et potus, somnus et vigiliae, et accidentia animae. quae ideo occasiones esse dicuntur, quia faciunt et conservant sanitatem, si temperata fuerint; si intemperata fuerint, infirmitatem. accidentia animae ideo dicuntur occasio sanitatis vel infirmitatis, quia aliquando vel commovent calorem impetuose, ut ira, vel leniter, ut delectationes, vel attrahunt et celant aut impetuose, ut terror et timor, aut leniter, ut angustia. et sunt quae commovent naturalem virtutem intus et extra, ut est tristitia. omnis operatio medicinae aut intus fit aut extra: intus, ut ea quae ore, naribus, auribus sive ano intromittuntur, ut potiones, vomitationes, pulveres etc. , quae bibendo, vel masticando, vel attrahendo sumuntur; foris, ut epitimata, cataplasmata, emplastra, chirurgia, quae duplex est: in carne, ut incidere, suere, urere; in osse, ut solidare et iuncturae reddere. nec moveat quemquam quod cibum et potum inter attributa medicinae annumero, quae superius venationi attribui, quia secundum diversos respectus hoc factum est.
vinum namque in botro agriculturae est, in peno, celararii, in gustu, medici. similiter ciborum apparatus ad pistrinum, macellum, coquinam pertinet; virtus saporis, ad medicinam.
Didascalicon de Studio Legendi (On the Study of Reading) companion
Hugh said begin with small daily portions. Start tomorrow.
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