Galen on qualified experience 289
variations in the quantity and the proportion in which a substance (or a
combination of various substances) is administered.^39
Additional types of relevant qualifications can easily be found inOn the
Mixtures and Powers of Simple Drugs:
it makes all the difference whether a substance consists of fine particles
( ) or of thick ones ( );^40
it makes all the difference whether a substance is applied to a healthy
body (" ) H
) with a good temperament ( &), a
body which naturally has a bad temperament ( -
-), or
a body which is ill or accidentally badly tempered ($0 -9
1 );^41
if a substance’s power is tested by applying it to an ill body, it is impor-
tant to apply it to a body suffering from a ‘simple disease’ (M $
!# ) rather than from a ‘complex disease’ (- !# ),
because in the latter case there may be all kinds of complicating vari-
ables;^42
within one genus of substance, one should take into account that differ-
ent species (e.g. of water) may have different powers;^43
thecauseof the state to be dispelled by the drug may vary: thus a thirst-
quenching substance may not be efficacious in a particular case because
the body suffers from a special kind of thirst which is different from
normal thirst.^44
Thus what Galen seems to mean when he says that a pharmacological
question or issue should be decided on the basis of ‘qualified experience’
(8
)
# ) is an empirical test of a substance’s dietetic or phar-
macological power which takes into account the conditions that have to
be fulfilled in order to make the test have an evidential value and provide
sufficiently specific information. Though the passages discussed are by no
means exhaustive, it turns out that Galen recognises a fairly comprehensive
list ofdiorismoi, ‘qualifications’ or ‘distinctions’ that serve as requirements
for a correct use of, or search for, empirical data, and thus for a truly in-
formative execution of experience ( ). His primary concern, to which
(^39) De temper. 3. 5 (p. 113. 20 ff. Helmreich, 1. 691 K.). For further elaborations of thesediorismoiin
pharmacology seeDe comp. med. sec. loc. 5. 1 ( 12. 805 ff. K.) and 7. 2 ( 13. 14 ff. K.).
(^401). 3 ( 11. 385 K.). On the topic of
see Debru ( 1997 ).
(^411). 4 ( 11. 386 K.); 1. 21 ( 11. 416 K.); 1. 33 ( 11. 438 K.); 2. 9 ( 11. 485 K.); 2. 21 ( 11. 518 K.); 3. 13 ( 11. 572 – 3 K.). Cf.
Grmek and Gourevitch ( 1985 ) 25 ; Harig ( 1974 ) 84 n. 32.
(^42) See the example of erysipelas inDe simpl. med. fac. 7. 10 ( 12. 39 f. K.), and of!in 2. 10 ( 11. 485 ff.
K.). Cf. Harig ( 1974 ) 85 nn. 33 – 4 , who refers toDe simpl. med. fac. 2. 21 ( 11. 518 K.); 4. 7 ( 11. 641 K.); 6
proem ( 11. 791 K.).
(^43) De simpl. med. fac. 1. 18 ( 11. 413 K.). (^44) De simpl. med. fac. 1. 32 ( 11. 437 K.).