ΠΕΡΙ ΑΙΤΙΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΣΗΜΕΙΩΝ ΧΡΟΝΙΩΝ ΠΑΘΩΝ, ΒΙΒΛΙΟΝ Β'.

κνήμης, ἡ ἀρχή. ἄλλοτε δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ κοτύλῃ τὸ ἄλγημα φαίνεται, αὖθις ἐς γλουτὸν ἢ ὀσφὺν ὀκέλλει, καὶ πάντα μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ἢ δόκησις ἰσχίου. ἀτὰρ καὶ τὰ ἄρθρα ὧδέ πως ἄρχεται · τοῦ ποδὸς τὸν μέγαν δάκτυλον ὰλγέει, αὖθις τὴν ἐπιπρόσω πτέρνην, ᾗ ποτε στηριζόμεθα· ἔπειτα ἐς τὸ κοῖλον ἧκε· τὸ δὲ σφυρὸν ἐξῴδησε ὕστατον. πρόφασιν δὲ αἰτιῶνται ἀναίτιον, οἱ μὲν κρηπῖδος καινῆς τρίβον, οἱ δὲ μακρὴν περίοδον · ἄλλος δὲ πληγὴν ἢ πάτημα· οὐδεὶς δὲ φράσει τὴν οἴκοθεν οὖσαν, ἀτὰρ καὶ ἀκούσασι τοῖσι πάσχουσι τὸ ἀτρεκὲς ἔδοξε ἄπιστον· διὰ τόδε ἐς ἀνήκεστον ἐτράπη, ὅτιπερ τῇσι ἀρχῇσι ὁκότε ἀσθενεστάτη ἐστὶ ἡ νοῦσος, ὁ ἰητρὸς οὐκ ἐνίσταται· ἢν δὲ χρόνῳ κρατυνθῇ, ἀνόνητος ἡ μελέτη. τισὶ μὲν οὖν ἐς ποδῶν ἄρθρα μίμνει μέσφι θανάτου, τισὶ δὲ νέμεται ἐς τὴν τοῦ παντὸς σκήνεος περίοδον · τὰ πολλὰ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ποδῶν ἐς χεῖρας ἤϊξε. οὐ γὰρ μεγάλα τὰ ὅρια τῇ νούσῳ χειρῶν τε καὶ ποδῶν, ὅτι ἄμφω ὁμοφυέα, ἰσχνὰ καὶ ἄσαρκα καὶ ἐγγυτάτω τοῦ ἔξω ψύχεος· ἀπωτάτω δὲ τοῦ ἔσω θάλπεος. αὖθις ἀγκὼν καὶ γόνυ· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖσι κοτύλαι, περίστροφος ἥδε μετάβασις ἐς νώτου μύας καὶ θώρηκος.

Though the text be not in quite a satisfactory state, I prefer leaving it as it stands, rather than adopt the slashing alterations made in it by Ermerins. He reads the last clause thus: ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖσι κοτύλῃσι περίστροφος· ἤδη μετάβασις ἐς νώτου μύας καὶ θώρηκος. Wigan merely proposes to read περίστροφοι ἠδὲ.

ἄπιστον εἰς ὅσον ἕρπει τὸ κακόν. σπόνδυλοι ἀλγέουσι ῥάΧεός τε καὶ αὐχένος, καὶ ἐς ἄκρον ἐρείδει τοῦ ἱεροῦ ὀστέου· καὶ ξυμπάντων τοῦ βουβῶνος καὶ ἰδίῃ ἡ ἑκάστου ὀδύνη.

The following most extraordinary reading occurs in all the MSS.: καὶ ξυμπάντω ν τε ὁ βοῦς, ὄνος, καὶ ἡ ἰδέη ̔ ἰδίη, Harl.) ἑκάστου ὀδύνη; which words, in the old translation of Crassus, are rendered literally,--"Simulque omnium bos, asinus, et proprius cujusque dolor." What can an ox or an ass have to do with an attack of Schiatica? Fortunately the Askew MS. belonging to the Medical Society of London, has guided me to what I do not hesitate to pronounce the true reading. In the margin of this MS., opposite the corrupted words, stand the following characters, apparently in the handwriting of the amanuensis:-- ἴσβουβῶν That is to say, ἴσως, βουβῶνος. Now, that "pain of the groin" is a constant attendant of Schiatica, every practical physician is well aware; and, in fact, this is one of the symptoms enumerated in the best descriptions of the disease furnished by the ancient authorities. For example, Cælius Aurelianus has the following words in his chapter on Schiatica and Lumbago: "Et primo, in vertebra dolor sentitur, dehinc partis suæ penetrans loca usque ad mediam natem, ac superius ad inguen," etc. Tard. Pass. v. 1. In like manner, Aetius describes the symptoms as follows: πολλοῖς δὲ ἡ ὀδύνη ἐρείδεται κατὰ τοῦ βουβῶνος ὅτε καὶ ἡ κύστις μεταλαμβάνουσα τῆς δυσκολίας δυσουρίαν ἐπιφέρει. Ex. MS. in Bibl. Bodl. Cod. Canon. Græc. cix. In a word, the substitution of τοῦ βουβῶνος for τε ὁ βοῦς, ὄνος, is so natural, that I feel persuaded no reasonable critic will demur to adopt it. Some other slight changes, however, are requisite in this passage, which might be effected in two or three different ways. I subjoin a few of my own attempts, some of which may perhaps be thought superior to the reading I have adopted:-- 1. καὶ ξυμπάντων τοῦ βουβῶνος [ τόπων] καὶ ἡ ἰδίη ἑκάστου ὀδύνη. 2. καὶ ξυμπάντων τε βουβῶνος καὶ ἰδίῃ ἡ ἑκάστου ὀδύνη. 3. καὶ ξύμπαντος τοῦ βουβῶνος καὶ ἡ ἰδίῃ ἑκάστου ὀδύνη. 4. καὶ ἐς ξύμπαντῶν τοῦ βουβῶνος καὶ ἰδίη ἑκάστου ὀδύνη. Every one of these specimens of an emended text brings out an appropriate meaning; namely, that "there is a general pain of the whole inguinal region, and a particular pain of every part situated therein." I have now to state briefly the emendations of this passage proposed by preceding editors and commentators. Wigan, while he retains the vitiated reading of the MSS., adds in a note at the end: "Cert・legendum ὁμοῦ πόνος. Ita eleganter vehementia doloris describitur, Vertebrœ et dolore torquentur, qui omnes œqu・occupare prœcipitur, et alium etiam insuper sentiunt, qui singulis suus et proprius videtur." Petit's emendation is very nearly the same: καὶ ξυμπάντων τε ὁμοῦ πόνος, καὶ ἡ ἰδίη ἑκάστου ὀδύνη. ιτ ις αδοπτεδ βψ ερμερινς ωιτη α σλιγητ ξηανγε: καὶ ξυμπάντων τε ὁμοῦ πόνος καὶ ἰδίῃ ἑκάστου ὀδύνη.

ἀτὰρ