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 medical treatise sharply criticizes physicians who engage in empty theoretical debates regarding the "periods" (periodos) and "types" (typos) of fevers while ignoring practical clinical reality. The author argues that the basic cycles of fever should be limited to quotidian, tertian, and quartan fevers, pointing out the impossibility of assuming longer cycles. In complex situations where different types of fever overlap, he emphasizes that understanding the true nature of the fever through specific symptoms is essential for treatment, rather than relying on armchair theories. Furthermore, he presents a practical mathematical method using principles of the greatest common divisor from Euclid's Elements to calculate the overlapping types and numbers of fevers based on attack times. Ultimately, the work exposes the mathematical self-contradictions of his opponents' theories and concludes by warning against wasting precious time on futile speculations.