Source edition
Hippocrates. Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, Vol. 9. Littré, Émile, editor. Paris: Baillière, 1861
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 treatise on medical and natural philosophy, composed in a brief, aphoristic style, which systematically discusses the nature of nourishment and its various effects on the human body. In the opening section, the author addresses the interactions between food and the body, the process of digestion, the distribution of nutrients to all parts of the body, and the characteristics and excretion of bodily fluids (humors). The text then defines nourishment based on its efficacy, introducing the fundamental principle of organic harmony or "sympathy" (sympatheia), while exploring specific topics such as fetal nutrition through the umbilical cord and the individual differences in dietary suitability based on constitution and habit. The final sections briefly address practical and anatomical matters, including the diverse purposes of nourishment, embryonic development, the healing periods of fractures, the distinct uses of liquid and solid remedies, and the roles of muscle wasting and bone marrow. Through this structured exploration of how food is absorbed and integrated, the work comprehensively illustrates the mechanisms of life support and the interconnectedness of the human body.