he indicates with these things.
Medicine has, too, a theoretical side which reaches the knowledge of particulars by universal reasoning and by inductive method. The parts of this are the study of symptoms and the knowledge of the courses of disease. The active part treating of action and effect; the parts of it diatetic, surgical, medicinal. How did Homer appraise each of these? That he knew the theoretical side is evident from this (O. iv. 227):—
Medicines of such virtue and so helpful had the daughters
of Zeus.
He calls them "of such virtue" because they were prepared by theoretic art.
But the study of symptoms he goes over in the case of Achilles. For he was a disciple of Charon. He first observed, then, the causes of the pestilence which was attacking the Greeks. For he knew that the causes of common diseases were from Apollo, who seems to be the same as the Sun. For he notices the seasons of the year. If these are intemperate, they become the causes of disease. For, in general, the safety and destruction of men are to be ascribed to Apollo, of women to Artemis, i.e. to the Sun and Moon, making them the casters of arrows by reason of the rays they throw out. So dividing the male and female he makes the male of the warmer temperament. On this account, at any rate, he says Telemachus is of this type, "by the guidance of Apollo"; but the daughters of Tyndarus grew up, he says, under the protection of Artemis. Moreover, to these gods he attributes death in many places, and among others in the following (I. xxiv. 605):—
The youths, Apollo with his silver bow;
The maids, the Archer Queen Diana slew.
Where he relates the rising of the Dog Star, the same is a sign and cause of fever and disease (I. xxii. 30):—
The highest he but sign to mortal man
Of evil augury and fiery heat.
He gives the causes of disease where he speaks about the gods (I. v. 341):—
They eat no bread, they drink no ruddy wine,
Thence are they bloodless and exempt from death.