Source edition
Galen. Claudii Galeni Opera Omnia, Volume 11. Kühn, Karl Gottlob, editor. Leipzig: Knobloch, 1826.
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 is a medical treatise in the form of a letter, written by Galen to provide a specific regimen and therapeutic guidelines for an epileptic boy. Responding to a request from Caecilianus, the author addresses the difficulties of offering partial medical advice and details practical measures to prevent seizures. The text outlines daily routines, including walks before and after study, and gentle exercise and massages guided by a thoughtful trainer to avoid rushing blood to the head. Dietary advice constitutes a major part of the guidance, specifying beneficial and harmful foods while suggesting moderate compromises to prevent the child from rejecting the strict regimen. Finally, the work details the preparation and administration of remedies based on squill and oxymel, emphasizing the crucial role of a physician's timely judgment in adjusting treatments according to the patient's bodily humors.