Source edition
Hippocrates. Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, Vol. 6. Littré, Émile, editor. Paris: Baillière, 1849
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 argues that epilepsy, traditionally known as the "sacred disease," is not a supernatural curse but a bodily ailment with purely natural causes, just like any other illness. The author begins by vigorously criticizing magicians and purifiers who exploit patients by treating the disease as sacred to conceal their own ignorance and deceit. He then identifies the brain as the root cause of the affliction, explaining the anatomical and physiological mechanisms involving mucus accumulation and the blockage of air vessels. Furthermore, he establishes that the brain, rather than the heart or diaphragm, is the seat of intellect, responsible for all human thought, emotion, and perception. Ultimately, the work concludes that all diseases operate under divine natural laws and can be cured through rational regimen and proper physical intervention rather than magical practices.