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Κεφ. ε. περὶ Παροξυσμοῦ Ἐπιληπτικῶν.

ἀμβλύτητες , ἴλιγγοι, τενόντων βάρεα, φλεβῶν ἐν τῷ τραχήλῳ πληρώσιες καὶ διατάσιες, ναυτία τε πολλὴ μὲν ἐπὶ σιτίοις, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἀσιτίῃσι καὶ βληχρή: 1 καὶ φλέγμα ἐμεῖται συχνόν: ἀποσιτίη καὶ ἀπεψίη ἐπὶ σμικροῖσι ἐδέσμασι: φυσώδεες, ἐπηρμένοι ὑποχόνδρια. τάδε μὲν οὖν διηνεκέα.

[p. 4] Ἢν δὲ πλησίον ἤδη2 τοῦ παροξυσμοῦ, κύκλῳ μαρμαρυγαὶ πρὸ τῆς ὄψιος πορφυρέων μελάνων, πάντων ὁμοῦ συμμεμιγμένων, ὡς δοκέειν τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ τετανύσθαι ἶριν. ἦχοι ὤτων, βαρυοδμίη : ὀργίλοι, πικρόχολοι παραλόγως: κατέπεσον γοῦν τινες ὑπὸ προφάσιος, ἐξ ἀθυμίης : μετεξέτεροι δὲ Ρ῾εύματι ποταμοῦ ἀτενὲς ἐνιδόντες, τροχῷ δινευμένῳ, βέμβικι ἑλισσομένῃ : ἄλλοτε δὲ ὄσφρησις βαρεῶν ὀσμῶν κατέβαλε, ὥσπερ γαγάτου λίθου. τοῖσδε μὲν οὖν ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ τὸ κακὸν ἐστηρίχθητε, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν πημανθὲν ἄρχεται : μετεξετέροισι δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πορρωτέρῳ τῆς κεφαλῆς νεύρων, ὁκόσα ξυμπαθέα τῇ ἀρχῇ γίγνεται. δάκτυλοι γοῦν μεγάλοι χειρῶν ποδῶν ξυνέλκονται, καὶ πόνος καὶ νάρκη καὶ τρόμος ἕπεται, καὶ ἐς κεφαλὴν τουτέων ὁρμὴ ἧκεν. ἢν ἕρπον τὸ κακὸν εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἵκηται, πάταγος τουτέοισι γίγνεται ὡς ἀπὸ πληγῆς ξύλου, λίθου. καὶ ἐξαναστάντες ἐκδιηγεῦνται, ὡς ὑπό τευ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς παταχθέντες. ἥδε μέντοι ἀπάτη γίγνεται ὁκόσοισι τόδε πρῶτον τὸ κακὸν ξυνέπεσε : οἷς δὲ ξύνηθες τὸ πάθος, ἢν ἐπίῃ μὲν νοῦσος, ἐς δάκτυλον δὲ ἤδη ἀφίκηται, ἀπό τευ ἄρξηται, ξυνήθεας [p. 5] ἀρωγοὺς καλέουσι τοὺς παρεόντας, προγνώσι τοῦ μέλλοντο ὑπ᾽ ἐμπειρίης: διασφίγγειν τε καὶ ἀνακλάειν καὶ συντείνειν δέονται τὰ κατάρχοντα μέρεα: καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ ἑωυτέοισιν ἕλκουσι τὰ μέρεα, ὅκωσπερ τὴν νοῦσον ἐξαιρούμενοι: καὶ σφέων τοιήδε ἐπικουρίη κοτὲ καὶ ἐς ἡμέρην τῆν σημασίην διώσατο.3 πολλοῖσι δὲ φόβος ἐστὶ ὡς ἐπιόντος θηρίου, σκιῆς φαντασίη, καὶ οὕτω κατέπεσον.

ἐν δὲ τῇ σημασίῃ ἀναισθήτως μὲν κέεται ὥνθρωπος, χεῖρες δέ οἱ σπασμῷ ξυνέρχονται, σκέλεα οὐ διαπεπλιγμένα μοῦνον, ἀλλὰ τῇδε κἀκεῖσε βαλλόμενα αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν τενόντων. ἐσφαγμένοισι ταύροισι ἥδε ἰκέλη ξυμφορή : αὐχὴν ἀγκύλος, κεφαλὴ ποικίλως διάστροφος : ἄλλοτε μὲν γὰρ ἐς τὸ πρηνὲς τοξοῦται, εὖτε ἐς τὸ στέρνον γένυς ἐρείδει, ἄλλοτε δὲ ἐς τὸ μετάφρενον ἀνακλᾶται, ὅκως τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς κόμης ἑλκομένοισι βίῃ, εὖτε ἔνθα ἔνθα ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους ἱζάνει. χάσκουσι μέγα, στόμα ξηρὸν, γλῶσσα προμήκης, ὡς καὶ κίνδυνον τρώματος μεγάλου γίγνεσθαι, ἀποτομῆς, εἴ κοτε σπασμῷ ξυνερείσουσιν οἱ ὀδόντες. ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐνδεδινημένοι, βλέφαρα τὰ πολλὰ διέχοντα ξὺν παλμῷ: ἢν δὲ ἐπιμύσαι κοτὲ ἐθέλοιεν, οὐ ξυμβάλλουσι τὰ βλέφαρα, ὡς καὶ τὰ λευκὰ ὁρῆσθαι ἐξ ὑποφάσιος. ὀφρύες ἄλλοτε μὲν ἐς τὸ μεσόφρυον ἀνειμέν αι,4 ὅκως τοῖς χαλεπαίνουσι, ἄλλοτε δὲ ἐς τοὺς κροτάφους ἀπηγμέναι, πολλόν τι μᾶλλον, ὡς τὸ δέρμα περὶ τὸ μέτωπον σφόδρα περιτετάσθαι καὶ τὰς τοῦ μεσοφρύου Ρ῾υτίδας ἐξαληλίφθαι: μῆλα ἐρυθρὰ, παλλόμενα:

[p. 6] χείλεα, κοτὲ μὲν ἄμφω ἐς ὀξὺ μεμυκότ α, ἄλλοτε δὲ ἐς τὰ πλάγια ἀπηγμένα, εὖτε τοῖσι ὀδοῦσι περιτείνεται, τοῖσι μειδιῶσι ὁμοίως.

ἐν αὔξῃ δὲ τοῦ κακοῦ καὶ πελιδνότης τοῦ προσώπου προσγίγνεται, ἀγγείων τῶν ἐν τῷ αὐχένι διάτασις, ὡς ἐν πνιγὶ ἀφωνίη, ἀναισθησίη , καὶ εἰ μέγα ἐμβοῇς: μυγμὸς δὲ καὶ στεναγμὸς φωνὴ, καὶ ἀναπνοὴ πνὶξ, ὡς ἀπαγχομένῳ:5 σφυγμοὶ σφοδροὶ καὶ ταχέες, καὶ σμικροὶ ἐν τῇσι ἀρχῇσι: μεγάλοι δὲ καὶ βραδέες καὶ νωθροὶ ἐπὶ τῷ τέλει, ἄτακτοι δὲ ἐς τὸ ξύνολον : αἰδοίων ξύντασι ς. τάδε μὲν οὖν ἐς τέλος τῆς σημασίης πάσχουσι.

ἢν δὲ ἐς ἄφεσιν ἀφικνέωνται τοῦ κακοῦ, οὖρα αὐτόματα, κοιλίης περίπλυσι ς: μετεξετ έροισι δὲ καὶ γονῆς ἀπόκρισις τῇ θλίψι καὶ πιέσι τῶν ἀγγείων, γαργαλισμῷ τοῦ πόνου, καὶ ὑγρασίης προκλήσι. γίγνονται γὰρ ἐν νεύροισι πόνοι καὶ τοῖσδε. στόμα δίυγρον, φλέγμα πολλὸν, παχὺ καὶ ψυχρὸν, καὶ εἰ ἕλκοις αὐτὸ, ἐπὶ μᾶλλον ἂν πλῆθος αὐτέου μηρύσαιο. ἢν δὲ χρόνῳ μακρῷ καὶ πόνῳ πολλῷ βρασθῇ μὲν τὰ ἔνδον τοῦ θώρηκος, πνεῦμα δὲ ἐγκατειρχθὲν τὰ πάντα σείσῃ, σπασμὸς δὲ καὶ τάραχος τῶν αὐτέων ἔῃ, κλύδων δὲ ὑγρῶν ἀναπλἔῃ ἐς τὰς διαπνοὰς, στόμα καὶ Ρ῾ῖνα, σὺν ὑγρῷ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα, ἄνεσις δὴ τῆς πρόσθεν πνίξιος ἁπάντων ἔοικε. ἀφρὸν δὲ ἀποπτύουσι ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῖσι μεγάλοισι πνεύμασι θάλασσα τὴν ἄχνην:6 εὖτε καὶ ἐξανίστανται δῆθεν ὡς τελευτήσαν τος τοῦ κακοῦ: ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ ἀποπαύσι νωθροὶ τὰ μέλεα τὰ πρῶτα, καρηβαρικοὶ, διαλελυμένοι, πάρετοι , ὠχροὶ, δύσθυμοι, κατηφέες, καμάτῳ καὶ αἰσχύνῃ τοῦ δεινοῦ.

[p. 7]

1 In all the former editions, instead of τε πολλὴ, we read τὰ πολλὰ and, with the exception of that of Dr. Ermerins, all have καὶ before βληχρή. The Latin translation of this clause by Wigan, Kuhn, and Ermerins, is this: “Nausea præcipué quidem post cibum, sed quæ per abstinentiam quoque lenté continuat,” which is evidently very loose and vague. That of Crassus is far more strict and accurate: “Nausea frequentius quidem e cibis, non minimé tamen et ab inedia pusilla quædam nausea sequitur.” The English translation of the text as it formerly stood would run thus: “Nausea for the most part, indeed, after food; but also, not unfrequently, slight nausea after abstinence.” It appears to me, however, that the meaning is so much improved by the slight change I have ventured to make, that I flatter myself no argument is required to prove it to be the true reading. The contrast between πολλὴ in the one case, and βληχρὴ in the other, is most suitable to the sense. That the repetition of καὶ is legitimate in this clause of the sentence, will not be questioned by any one who is familiar with the style of Galen. See, for example, De Locis Affectis, v.i., prope initium; t.iii ... 296, ed. Basil.

2 The common reading in the mss. is εἴδεος, which is evidently inadmissible. Petit, in his Commentary, suggests that the true reading is δέος . Wigan also prefers πλησίον εἴη δέος. Ermerins accordingly reads πλησίον ἔῃ δέοσμ. None of these editors, however, refers to any authority for this expression, which appears to me quaint and unnatural — “but if the dread of a paroxysm be at hand.” I prefer ἤδη on the authority of many parallel passages, as for example — πλησίον δὲ ἤδη τοῦ φρενίζειν ὄντες, Galen, de loc. affect. iii.; ἐνστάντος δὲ ἤδη τοῦ συμπτώματος, P. ae. iii. 5, in the chapter on epilepsy. Ermerins very properly restores it, in another passage of our author, where ἥδε had been substituted for it (Sympt. diut. morb ... 9). Indeed ἤδη, in such cases, occurs frequently in the works of our author.

Moreover, in the margin of the celebrated Reiske's copy of Henisch's edition, there is found this emendation — ἤδη δέος. See G. Dindorf's Appendix to Kuhn's edition. The Latin translation of Crassus would agree very well with the reading I propose; while it is unsuitable to the text when δέος is admitted: “Quum vero accessio appropinquat.

3 The common reading in the mss. is καὶ ἐς τὴν ἡμετέρην σημασίην διώσατο. In the margin of the edition of Henisch we find ἡμέρην, which is adopted by Wigan. Ermerins transposes τὴν from before ἡμέρην, as above.

4 Dr. Ermerins, on pure conjecture, substitutes ξυνηγμέναι, as I think unnecessarily. Ἀνειμέναι may be interpreted literally, “inclining,” i ... “drawn upwards.” See Foes Oec. Hippocrat., under ἀνιοῦται. Would not ἀνιέμεναι be a suitable reading? I have translated the passage accordingly.

5 The common reading before Ermerins was καὶ πνίξ. I have cheerfully adopted, also, his emendation of νυγμὸς into μυγμὸς, as suggested by Petit; and only wonder that neither of them refers to the Eumenides of aeschylus (l. 116) as an authority for this meaning of the term.

6 homer, Iliad. iv. 421, et seq.

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