Part 17

The occupation of fishing, according to Plato, produces neither mental nor bodily excitement. (In Sophista.) Galen and Avicenna briefly mention it as an exercise which may tend to the preservation of health; but neither of them appears to have attached much importance to it. The poet Oppian, however, in his ‘Halieutica’ has celebrated the pleasures and dangers of fishing, with all the enthusiasm of an Isaac Walton, or a Washington Irving.

Oribasius states that swimming tends to warm, strengthen, and attenuate the body. He says that swimming in the sea is particularly applicable in cases of dropsy, eruptive diseases of the skin, and elephantiasis. It is apt, however, he adds, to prove injurious to the head, and also to the nerves when too long continued. We have mentioned in the fifteenth Section, that the ancients got their bodies rubbed with oil before going into the water. Celsus gives nearly the same account of it, as a remedy for the cure of diseases, as Oribasius. Swimming may be said to have been the national exercise of the ancient Romans. Horace in particular makes frequent allusions to it as an invigorating and manly exercise. The Romans had artificial lakes or ponds connected with their baths, for the purpose of swimming. (Pliny, Epist. v, 6.)

Jumping and dancing, according to Oribasius, occasion a determination downwards, and hence, they may prove useful in cases of amenorrhœa. (Med. Collect. vi, 31.) It appears from a case related in a work attributed to Hippocrates, that jumping was had recourse to, to procure abortion. (De nat. Pueri.) The most eloquent encomiast of dancing is Lucian, who has written an ingenious treatise in praise of it. He contends that it is an excellent training, not only to the body, but also to the mind! He refers to Socrates and other sage philosophers who practised dancing. (De Saltatione.) The Pyrrhic dance of the ancients was particularly celebrated. It was performed by armed men. See Vossius (de Nat. Art. i,) and Athenæus (Deipn. xiv, 19, ed. Schweigh.)

On the Apotherapia or Restorative process, see Galen (Hyg. iii); Oribasius (Med. Collect. vi, 16); and Avicenna (i, 3, 2.) It consisted simply in rubbing the body softly and moderately with oil. According to Galen, the object of it was to relieve the feelings of lassitude, and prevent any bad effects from the exercise. Mercurialis states that, when applied after the bath, it was with the intention of preventing the humidity from being dissipated. Odoriferous ointments and powders were sometimes used instead of the oil. (De Arte gymnast. i; also Baccius de Thermis, 10.)

SECT. XVIII.—ON THE KINDS OF FRICTION.

Hard friction contracts, and soft relaxes; so that those persons that are relaxed should be rubbed hard, and those that are immoderately constricted, softly; and when, neither in the one state nor the other, it is clear that neither the one mode of friction nor the other should be had recourse to, but as much as possible either extreme ought to be avoided. For much and hard friction diminishes the bulk of the body, whilst, on the other hand, little and soft distends it. If the three different kinds of frictions as to quantity be joined to the same number as to quality, they will produce nine combinations, as is stated below. For one of the kinds, as to quantity, for example much, being complicated with the three differences as to quality, I mean the hard, the soft, and the moderate as to hardness, will produce three combinations; and, again, the little being joined to the other three will produce three more; and the moderate as to quality being complicated with the same three, will produce three more, as is shown below:

QUANTITY. QUALITY.

Much } { Hard. Much } and { Soft. Much } { Moderate.

Little } { Hard. Little } and { Soft. Little } { Moderate.

Moderate } { Hard. Moderate } and { Soft. Moderate } { Moderate.

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COMMENTARY. The brief but comprehensive rules of Hippocrates for the application of friction, are thus given in the language of Celsus: “Hippocrates dixit, frictione, si vehemens sit, durari corpus; si lenis, molliri; si multa, minui; si modica, impleri.” Celsus adds, that, according to circumstances, the body may be braced by it, if relaxed; may be softened, if indurated; may have its superfluities expelled, if loaded with plethora; and have nourishment attracted to it, if emaciated. He remarks, that it is mostly applicable in the decline of a disease. His other directions for the application of it are very apposite, (ii, 14.)

Pliny delivers the rules of Hippocrates in nearly the same words as Celsus. (Hist. Nat. xxviii, 14.)

Our author’s account of friction is taken from Oribasius (Med. Collect. vi), or from Aëtius (iii.) All, however, are indebted to Galen, who handles the subject most scientifically. (Hyg. ii.)

Similar directions are given by Avicenna (i, 3, 2), and by Haly Abbas (Theor. v, 12.) Averrhoes gives the sum of the directions laid down by Galen and the other authorities. Strong friction, he says, braces and hardens the body; weak, rarifies and softens; moderate, operates in an intermediate degree. Besides, he adds, hard friction diminishes obesity; moderate, on the other hand, tends to remove emaciation. (Collect. ii, 3.)

It was a general practice of the ancients to have recourse to friction in the morning and evening. Oribasius has many excellent observations on this practice. (l. c.)

SECT. XIX.—ON VOCIFERATION, OR THE EXERCISE OF THE VOICE.

In the exercise of the voice, regular and gentle modulation can contribute nothing to health, but the utterance of louder tones is beneficial, and is therefore to be practised. For, much air being inhaled thus by respiration expands the chest and stomach, and dilates and extends all the pores of the body. Wherefore, even in reading, it promotes the excretion of redundant humours, to those who read in a high tone, by inducing sweats; while in those who read with a moderate tone it promotes the insensible perspiration over the whole frame. For by attenuating the excrementitious matters which are hawked up, the saliva, mucus, and phlegm are discharged and consumed. And to those who stand in need of warming, on account of their frigidity, what mode of relief can be more proper than the action of respiration? Such persons ought therefore to read frequently, and, relaxing the whole body, so as to distend the windpipe and all the other passages of air, endeavour to utter the loudest sounds. And yet we must not have recourse to the exercise of the voice rashly, and without consideration, nor when the system is filled with depraved humours, or the stomach loaded with crudities, lest noxious vapours be thereby distributed over the whole body.

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COMMENTARY. These remarks of our author are very pertinent; But Oribasius has given a more comprehensive view of the subject, from the works of Antyllus. He thus describes the mode of performing vociferation: The bowels being evacuated, the person’s body is to be first rubbed, and then the inferior parts and the face are to be sponged with water. He is to begin talking, at first, in a moderate tone, while at the same time he walks about, and afterwards, straining his voice to a louder tone, he is to repeat certain verses. (Med. Collect. vi.)

Plutarch gives nearly the same account of it. He commends vociferation as giving strength to the internal parts, increasing the vital heat, purifying the veins, attenuating the blood, and dispelling the humours. He cautions, however, not to strain the voice to too great a pitch, lest it occasion rupture of any of the vessels. (De Sanit. tuendâ.)

Vociferation, according to Aëtius, is an exercise of the chest and the organs of speech, improving the vital heat; attenuating and strengthening the solid parts of the body. He recommends it for the cure of asthma, orthopnœa, phthisical and chronic pains of the chest, or apostemes when they burst; also, in tertian intermittents, and affections of the stomach attended with vomiting. It is unsuitable, he says, in complaints of the head. (iii, 5.)

Celsus recommends loud reading for curing weakness of the stomach. (i, 8.)

Galen scarcely takes any notice of vociferation, except that, in one place, he states that it exercises the chest and lungs. (De Sanit. tuendâ, ii, 11.)

Avicenna, in giving an account of vociferation, follows Aëtius. He says, that it exercises the parts about the mouth and chest; and hence, that it improves the complexion. He likewise cautions us not to prolong loud enunciation, lest it occasion a rupture of the vessels. He directs us to begin moderate, and then strain the voice gradually, and afterwards to allow it to sink by degrees, (i, 3, 2.)

SECT. XX.—ON LASSITUDE FROM EXERCISES.

That species of lassitude called the Ulcerose is occasioned by a collection of thin and pungent superfluities in the body. In the Tensive there is scarcely any superfluity in the system, but the state of the muscles and nerves is such that they appear to be stretched. The Inflammative, in which we feel as if the parts of the body were bruised or inflamed, happens when, being much heated, the muscles attract the surrounding superfluities. There is a fourth species, occasioned by an unnatural dryness of the muscles, in which the body, when stripped naked, appears squalid and constricted, and is averse to motion. The cure of the ulcerose species consists in dispelling the superfluities by much and soft friction with plenty of oil devoid of astringency. The indication of cure in the second or tensive species is relaxation, which may be accomplished by means of little and soft friction with oil heated in the sun; by quietude and rest, by tepid baths, and remaining for a considerable time in the warm water; for, if you repeat the bath two or three times in succession, you will confer so much the greater benefit. In the third species, or the inflammative, there are three indications of cure: the discharge of the superfluity, the relaxing of the constriction, and the cooling of the inflammatory state. Plenty of tepid oil, the softest friction, and remaining long in a bath of a moderate temperature, remove lassitudes of this description. Long-continued quietude is also proper, and repeated inunction. The treatment of the fourth differs in no respect, for the first day, from that of the third, except that the water ought to be hotter, so as to contract gently; and on the second, the restorative kind of exercise must be had recourse to; and when in the bath, let the person straightway leap into the cistern of cold water. All those affected with lassitude stand in need of wholesome food.

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