[3.] Dropsical disorders. Aqua inter cutem.) This is a term used by our author, to signify a slight species of the leucophlegmatia, or the first appearances of a dropsy. See the beginning of the 21st chapter of lib. iii.
[4.] Braces a sound body. Spissat sanum corpus.) Literally, it thickens, or compacts a sound body.—The interpretation here given is confirmed by opposite effects of the south wind, a few lines after, Corpus efficit hebes, humidum, languidum.
[5.] If the temples be strait bound.) This happens, when there is no perspiration from them.
[6.] And pubes be full.) Linden and Almeloveen here have plana—But I chose rather with Constantine to read plena; both because the appearance is then exactly opposed to what follows in the IV. chapter, as a bad symptom in those parts, and because it corresponds better with Hippocrat. aphor. 35. sect. 2.
[7.] At the end of a distemper.) Celsus takes this from Coac. Prænot. 601. which if he had translated literally, he would have said, instead of Sub fine morbi, ad crisim; which shows his great care to avoid the Greek terms of art, and render the knowledge of medicine as easy as possible to his countrymen.
[8.] Betwixt the fourth hour.) The Romans divided the day from sun-rise to sun-set into twelve equal parts, or hours; the measure of which therefore differed in proportion to the length of the day. The sixth hour was our twelve; it is easy to reckon all the rest by their distance from that middle point. When they mention hours as a general measure of time, they mean equinoctial hours, as Plin. lib. xviii. cap. 25.
[9.] Strigments, Strigmenta.) I find the moderns differ about the signification of this word; some taking it for the sordes absterged from the skin at the baths or palestræ, other for abraded fibres from the guts. It is agreed on all hands, that Celsus by this word translates ξύσματα in Hippocrates, and so it is rendered by Foesius.—Though ξύσμα will bear either of these interpretations, yet it seems to favour the first, that not only Erotianus explains it so in his lexicon to Hippocrates; but Celsus himself, in the sixth book, c. 6. orders a composition to be brought to the consistence of strigmentum.
[10.] Many ways.) Instead of pluribus modis, most editions have pluribus morbis. However, either of them will agree with what goes before and follows.
[11.] And if there is not a discharge of blood from the nose, &c.) In Almeloveen and Linden the reading is thus, Ac si inter ipsa initia sanguis è naribus non fluit, circa aures erumpit.—Morgagni[ IP ] here observes, that this does not agree with the prænotion, no. 6. whence this whole context is taken; and also that these words, Sanguis è naribus, are not in the margin, nor in any of his editions; and that Constantine and Ronsseus have in the margin Initia aut viscera, while all of them write in the text Ipsa ulcera, some Non fluit, others Non fuit; which the most ancient editions and the MS. have, and besides viscera.—So that, upon the whole, he would incline to read Ac si inter ipsa viscera non fit, circa aures erumpit, viz. And if it is not formed amongst the viscera, it breaks out about the ears.