Source edition
Galen. Claudii Galeni Opera Omnia, Volume 7. Kühn, Karl Gottlob, editor. Leipzig: Knobloch, 1824.
Source data
A Digital Corpus for Graeco-Arabic Studies · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work by Galen systematically classifies the progression of illnesses and provides medical guidelines for grasping the "opportune moments" to administer appropriate treatment. Drawing an analogy between the course of a disease and the lifespan of an animal, the author divides illness into four stages: beginning, increase, peak (akme), and decline. Each stage is defined by the progress of concoction (pepsis) of bodily humors, with changes in excretions such as urine and sputum serving as crucial indicators for objective diagnosis. Galen emphasizes from a practical medical standpoint that the peak of a disease is not a fleeting instant but possesses a perceptible duration that allows for medical intervention. In the latter part of the treatise, he analyzes the stages of incurable, fatal diseases and the relative balance between the severity of the illness and the patient's physical strength. Finally, the work outlines principles for evaluating major organs (brain, heart, and liver) when multiple diseases coexist, alongside dietary guidelines tailored to each stage, concluding that effective treatment must rely on practical observation rather than empty theoretical debate.