Source edition
Galen. Claudii Galeni librum De parvae pilae exercitio. Marquardt, Johannes, editor. Güstrow: Domschule, 1879.
Source data
A Digital Corpus for Graeco-Arabic Studies · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
In this work, the ancient physician Galen addresses a figure named Epigenes to explain the supreme benefits of the exercise with the small ball for health and physical training. The author argues that, compared to other sports or hunting, this exercise is easy to prepare, accessible to everyone, and serves as an all-round activity that trains every part of the body while delighting the soul. Furthermore, the practice is shown to sharpen both physical senses like hand-eye coordination and mental faculties, even serving as preparatory training for military tactics. Galen contrasts this with extreme sports such as wrestling, which causes obesity, or running, which leads to uneven physical fatigue, emphasizing instead the importance of moderation and balance. Ultimately, he concludes that this exercise is exceptionally safe and highly flexible, as its intensity can be adjusted to suit any age or physical condition.