Hippocrates, De morbis popularibus
W. H. S. Jones, Ed.

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PART 1

I. IN Thasos during autumn, about the time of the equinox to near the setting of the Pleiades,¹ there were many rains, gently continuous, with southerly winds. Winter southerly,² north winds light, droughts ; on the whole, the winter was like a spring. Spring southerly and chilly ; slight showers. Summer in general cloudy. No rain. Etesian winds few, light and irregular.

The whole weather proved southerly, with droughts, but early in the spring, as the previous constitution had proved the opposite and northerly, a few patients suffered from ardent fevers, and these very mild, causing hemorrhage in few cases and no deaths. Many had swellings beside one ear, or both ears, in most cases unattended with fever,³ so that confinement to bed was unnecessary. In some cases there was slight heat, but in all the swellings subsided without causing harm ; in no case was there suppuration such as attends swellings of other origin. This was the character of them :--flabby, big, spreading, with neither inflammation nor pain ; in every case they

[p. 149] disappeared without a sign.⁴ The sufferers were youths, young men, and men in their prime, usually those who frequented the wrestling school and gymnasia. Few women were attacked. Many had dry coughs which brought up nothing when they coughed, but their voices were hoarse. Soon after, though in some cases after some time, painful inflammations occurred either in one testicle or in both, sometimes accompanied with fever, in other cases not. Usually they caused much suffering. In other respects the people had no ailments requiring medical assistance.⁵