Note 561 — ON REGIMEN IN ACUTE DISEASES.

Although, as we have shown in our analysis of the treatise on the Use of Liquids, Hippocrates and his followers were sufficiently liberal in the administration of water on proper occasions, it will be seen from the contents of this section that our author was by no means disposed to give water freely in febrile diseases, nor in affections of the chest. Whatever may now be thought of his observations on this point of practice, all must admit that they are deserving of high attention. Galen’s Commentary is also very interesting. It appears from it that he disapproved of giving water alone, but always added a small proportion of wine to it in order to give it a flavour. That the quantity of wine which was added to the water must have been small, is obvious from an anecdote which he relates in this place. He says that a certain physician, who saw the insignificant amount of the wine which was put into the water, said, bantering him, “Your patient will have the pleasure of seeing the wine indeed, but will not be able to taste it.” Galen, however, contends that, although the quantity thus added be small, it is sufficient to act as a stomachic, and to obviate the bad effects which the water would otherwise produce. (Opera, tom. v., p. 83; ed. Basil.) It will be perceived from the context, that Hippocrates intended to give a separate treatise on each particular disease, not considering the present work on general therapeutics sufficiently explicit, as Galen remarks.