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presently. Aspect affects spring waters thus. Those
whose sources face the risings of the sun are the
very best. Second in excellence come those between
the summer risings and the summer settings, by
preference in the direction of the risings. Third
best are those between the summer and winter
settings. The worst are those that face the south,
and those between the winter rising and setting.
These are very bad indeed when the winds are in the
south, less bad when they are in the north. Spring
waters should be used thus. A man in health and
strength can drink any water that is at hand without
distinction, but he who because of disease wishes
to drink the most suitable can best attain health in
the following way. Those whose digestive organs are
hard and easily heated will gain benefit from the
sweetest, lightest and most sparkling waters. But
those whose bellies are soft, moist, and phlegmatic,
benefit from the hardest, most harsh and saltish
waters, for these are the best to dry them up. For
waters that are best for cooking and most solvent
naturally loosen the digestive organs the most and
relax them ; but harsh waters, hard and very bad for
cooking, contract most these organs and dry them
up. In fact the public are mistaken about saline
waters through inexperience, in that they are
generally considered to be laxative. The truth is
that they are just the reverse ; they are harsh and
bad for cooking, so that the digestive organs too
are stiffened by them rather than loosened.
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