108 Hippocratic Corpus and Diocles of Carystus
Diocles, in the book in which he writes on affections, causes and treatments,
applies venesection to those in whom the affection [sc. ileus] has established itself
and treats them with poultices from the flour which the Greeks call ̄om ̄e lusis, fat,
wine and lees. Then he gives them something to drink first and applies a clyster
consisting of the seed of abrotanum mixed with oxymel, and of birthwort, cumin,
nitre, fennel root decocted in wine mixed with sea water, or raisin wine, or more
acid wine, or milk with a decoction of linseed and honey, or similar things. Again,
in the fourth book on treatments he says:
‘For young people and those whose normal constitution is strong, and all the
more for those in whom the pain stretches to the sides [of the body], I recom-
mend venesection from the right hand, or from the internal vein, and bathing
in hot water, and when they have got warm to inject in the belly a clyster mixed
with salt, and then again to put them in hot water and to warm them.’But he prescribes also that they should be given drugs to drink first, namely half
a drachm of allheal dissolved in lukewarm oxymel, and two obols of myrrh with
leaves of holy vervain in white wine, or with Ethiopian cumin.
‘Most patients also benefit from swallowing a lead pill, for it drives the obstruct-
ing material away by its heaviness and expels it.’Moreover, he says that patients who are thirsty should daily be given wine that is
sweet or mixed with water, or sea water mixed with white wine, or centaury, or
nitre, or soda, in order to dissolve as much as possible.
‘One should also give soupy food, such as bran water with honey, or a gruel of
oats or of pearl barley, or vegetables cooked with flour, some with fat, others
with spelt groats and salt; the patient should also swallow a broth made from
parrot wrasse, crayfish, bucinas and crabs. Then’, he says, ‘a convalescense cure
should be applied’,of which he lists the materials, which it is superfluous to enumerate; for from the
above it is evident that this mixture of stuffs is useless and unskilful. For one should
venesect not only young people, but also people of other ages, and not always from
the right hand or the interior vein, but also from the left hand and from the exterior
vein. For after a withdrawal has been carried out, this gives relief to the swelling
parts, but the use of clysters, due to their acid quality, causes the swelling parts to
burn. Moreover, the drinking of drugs beforehand is irritating, for these are sharp
and biting, and [are things] that do not soothe the acute state nor bring relief to
the swelling parts. Swallowed lead, to be sure, presses and drives [the obstructing
material] by its heaviness, but necessarily on contact cools and stretches the densely
compacted intestines in an irritating manner. Broths are known to go off easily
and to cause flatulency, and barley gruel to bring about the same effect; wine, too,
is harmful when the disease is in its increasing phase.^16
(^16) Translation according to van der Eijk ( 2000 a) 213 – 17.