[p. 27]
strong, and suppose he were to eat one of the foods
that would be beneficial and strength-giving to an ox
or a horse, vetches or barley or something similar,
not much of it, but far less than he could take. If
the man in health did this he would suffer no less
pain and danger than that sick man who took bread
or barley-cake at a time when he ought not. All this
goes to prove that this art of medicine, if research be
continued on the same method, can all be discovered.
PART 9
IX. If the matter were simple, as in these instances,
and both sick and well were hurt by too
strong foods, benefited and nourished by weaker
foods, there would be no difficulty. For recourse to
weaker food must have secured a great degree of
safety. But as it is, if a man takes insufficient food,
the mistake is as great as that of excess, and harms
the man just as much. For abstinence has upon
the human constitution a most powerful effect, to
enervate, to weaken and to kill. Depletion produces
many other evils, different from those of repletion, but
just as severe. Wherefore the greater complexity of
these ills requires a more exact method of treatment.
For it is necessary to aim at some measure. But no
measure, neither number nor weight, by reference to
which knowledge can be made exact, can be found
except bodily feeling. Wherefore it is laborious to
make knowledge so exact that only small mistakes
are made here and there. And that physician who
makes only small mistakes would win my hearty
praise. Perfectly exact truth is but rarely to be seen.
For most physicians seem to me to be in the same
