[p. 33]
food while the organs were still in a state of hot
turmoil and ferment. Such organs digest much more
slowly than others, and need longer rest and quiet.
The man accustomed to take lunch, since no
fresh nourishment was given him as soon as his
body needed nourishment, when the previous meal
was digested and there was nothing to sustain him,
naturally wastes and pines away through want. For
I put down to want all the symptoms which I have
said such a man shows. And I assert furthermore
that all other men besides, who when in good health
fast for two or three days, will show the same
symptoms as I have said those exhibit who do not
take their lunch.
PART 12
XII. Such constitutions, I contend, that rapidly
and severely feel the effects of errors, are weaker
than the others. A weak man is but one step
removed from a sickly man, but a sickly man is
weaker still, and is more apt to suffer distress whenever
he misses the due season. And, while the art
can admit of such nice exactness, it is difficult always
to attain perfect accuracy. But many departments of
medicine have reached such a pitch of exactness,
and I will speak about them later. I declare, however,
that we ought not to reject the ancient art as
non-existent, or on the ground that its method of
inquiry is faulty, just because it has not attained
exactness in every detail, but much rather, because
it has been able by reasoning to rise from deep
ignorance to approximately perfect accuracy, I think
we ought to admire the discoveries as the work, not
of chance, but of inquiry rightly and correctly conducted.