卷二·第二章　病从何时算起：危象之日与卧床之时

CHAP. II.

第二章

The way to finde out the Critical dayes, as also the Decumbiture, both by Ancient and Modern Writers.

古今作者求危象之日与卧床之时的方法。

ANcient Physitians, because they were ignorant of the motion of the Moon, though not of her operation, as many of our modern are, made their account by number of dayes; and in so doing, erred egregiously: And although Durate my Author counts their opinions, I hold it not worth time to recite mens failings: But of the certain term or time when the Criticall dayes begin, I shall quote these few words.

古代的医生，因为不知道月亮的运行——虽然并非不知道她的作用，我们今天的许多医生也正是如此——就按日子的数目来计算，这样做就错得厉害：虽然我的作者迪雷把他们的意见一一列举出来，我却认为不值得花时间去复述别人的失误；不过关于危象之日从哪一个确定的期限或时刻开始，我要引用下面这几句话。

When any notable disease comes, if you would discern whether it tends to Health, Death, Mutation, or Continuance, it is necessary that you begin at the first punct of time of the invasion of the disease. This Galen saith is very hard, if not impossible to find; 'tis taken proconfesso, that it may be easily known, when a man takes his bed in his sicknesse; but when the beginning of the sicknesse is, that's the question: For a lusty stout man beares the disease longer, and is longer before he takes his bed, then a puny weakly sickly man is: a meer suspition of a sicknesse, will send a faint-hearted man to bed; you may perswade him he is sicke, whether he be or no.

每当有一场明显的病来临，你若想看出它是趋向康复、死亡、变化还是迁延，就必须从疾病侵袭的最初那一刻开始。盖伦说这一刻很难找，即使不是不可能；人们都当作理所当然，认为一个人病了卧床的时刻很容易知道；可病是从什么时候开始的，这才是问题所在：因为一个健壮结实的人扛得住病的时间更长，拖得更久才卧床，而一个瘦小、虚弱、多病的人就不是这样：仅仅怀疑自己有病，就能把一个胆怯的人送上床；你可以说服他相信他病了，不管他是不是真病了。

Notwithstanding this is most certain that in most acute diseases, as also in many other diseases, as the Falling sicknesse, Palsies, Apoplexies, Pluresies, &c. 'tis an easie thing to find out the beginning, or the precise time of the invasion of the disease.

尽管如此，最确定的是：在大多数急症中，以及在许多别的病中，如癫痫、瘫痪、中风、胸膜炎等等，找出疾病的开端，即疾病侵袭的精确时刻，是件容易的事。

The common opinion of such as are learned in Astrology is, and according to their opinion I affirm, that that moment of time is to be taken for the beginning of the disease, in which a man finds a manifest pain or hurt in his body: for instance, when a man hath got a Fever, usually the head akes certain dayes before; this is not the Fever, but a Messenger or forerunner of the Fever; the true beginning of the Fever, is when the disease appears sensibly, or when a horror or trembling invades the sicke, as does usually in the beginning of a Fever; that is the beginning of the disease, when the disease appeares manifest to sence;

精通星占的人通常的意见是——我也照他们的意见断言——应当把人在身体里感到明显的疼痛或伤害的那一刻，当作疾病的开端：举例来说，一个人得了热病，往往在此之前几天就头痛；这不是热病，而是热病的信使或先驱；热病真正的开端，是病明显可以感觉到的时候，或是寒战或颤抖袭上病人的时候，热病开始时通常就是这样；当病明显显露于感官之时，就是疾病的开端；

And this was the judgement of Hippocrates, one of the honestest of Physitians: And you shall find this alwaies, that the more acute the disease is, the more manifest the beginning of it is to sense: yea so manifest, that it is almost impossible that the beginning should lie hid from any one that wants reason, if he have but sense.

这也是希波克拉底的判断，他是最诚实的医生之一：你们会发现总是这样：病越急，它的开端就越明显地显露于感官：明显到这种地步，一个人哪怕缺少理智，只要还有感官，病的开端几乎就不可能瞒过他。