no Greek Medicine 



befall. The book contains also a number of notes on rare 

 conditions seldom seen or noted save by medical men. Such 



J 



are the following very acute observations : 



c Spasm supervening on a wound is fatal.' 



; Those seized with tetanus die within four days, or if they 

 survive so long they recover.' 



6 A convulsion, or hiccup, supervening on a copious discharge 

 of blood is bad.' 



4 If after severe and grave wounds no swelling appears, it is 

 very serious/ 



These four sentences all concern wounds. The first two 

 refer to the disease tetanus, which is very liable to supervene on 

 wounds fouled with earth, especially in hot and moist localities. 

 The disease is characterized by a series of painful muscular 

 contractions which in the more severe and fatal form mav 



* 



become a continuous spasm, a type that is referred to in the 

 first sentence. It is true of tetanus that the later the onset 

 after the wound is sustained the better the chance of recovery. 

 This is brought out by the second sentence. The third and 

 fourth sentences record untoward symptoms following a severe 

 wound, now well recognized and watched for by every surgeon. 

 There were, of course, innumerable illustrations of the truth 

 of these Aphorisms in extensive wounds, especially those 

 involving crushed limbs, in the late war. 



' Phthisis occurs most commonly between the ages of eighteen 

 and thirty-five.' 



4 Diarrhoea supervening on phthisis is mortal.' 



The period given by the Aphorisms for the maximum fre- 

 quency of onset of the disease is closely borne out by modern 

 observations. The second Aphorism is equally valid ; continued 

 diarrhoea is a very frequent antecedent of the fatal event in 

 chronic phthisis, and post-mortem examination has shown that 

 secondary involvement of the bowel is an exceedingly common 

 condition in this disease. 



