On Loss of Consciousness

Theophrastus. Theophrasti Eresii Opera, Quae Supersunt, Omnia. Wimmer, Friedrich, editor. Paris: A.F. Didot, 1866.

Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This work is a medical and philosophical inquiry into the mechanism of the physiological phenomenon of "loss of consciousness" (syncope) through the dynamics of bodily heat. The author defines loss of consciousness fundamentally as the loss of heat or cooling in the vicinity of the respiratory organs. Based on this definition, the text analyzes how physical factors, such as excessive external heat, loss of bodily fluids, or sudden temperature changes after bathing, disrupt the thermal balance of the body. Furthermore, it demonstrates that psychological factors, such as extreme pleasure or pain, also affect bodily heat and contribute to triggering a swoon. Thus, this short treatise systematically elucidates the process through which various internal and external factors disrupt thermal equilibrium and lead to unconsciousness.