Oh nature

I affirm: nature is a quality that arises from the interaction of opposite qualities when they stop at a certain limit. These qualities exist in small particles of elements so that the greatest amount of each element comes into contact with the greatest amount of another. When they influence each other with their forces, from their totality emerges a quality similar to all of them, that is, nature.

There are four primary forces in the mentioned elements - heat, coldness, moisture and dryness. It is clear that natures in existing and decaying bodies arise only from these forces, and this happens, if we look at it in general, in accordance with the requirements of rational theoretical division, regardless of anything, in a twofold way.

In one case, the nature is balanced, because the shares of mutually opposite qualities in the mixture are equal and oppose each other, so that the nature turns out to be a quality that actually mediates between them.

The second case is when nature is not an absolute mean between mutually opposite qualities, but leans more towards one side or the other, either in relation to one of the opposites that exists between heat and cold and between wetness and dryness, or in both. However, what is considered in medical science as balance and imbalance does not apply to either case. The doctor is obliged to take on faith the words of the natural scientist that “balanced” in this sense is one of those things whose existence is completely impossible to admit Moreover, human nature or a human organ cannot be like this. He should know that the word mutadil - “balanced”, which doctors use in their research, is not derived from taadul, that is, “distribution of weight equally,” but from adl, “fair share” in distribution. This means that with such balance in the mixed composition, be it the entire human body or any organ, that proportion of elements is fully present in the proper measure and proportion, the quantity and quality of which is supposed to be in human nature. However, it happens that a person’s inherent share is very close to the first, true balance.

This balance, taken in relation to the bodies of men and defined in comparison with other things that do not have such balance and are not so close as a person to the state of true balance mentioned in the first case, can be of seven types.

It is being considered:

1. or in relation to a species - in comparison with various things standing outside a given species
2. or in relation to a species - in comparison with various things included in a given species
3. or in relation to the genus of a species - in comparison with various things of the same species that stand outside the given genus
4. or in relation to the genus of a species - in comparison with various things included in a given genus
5. or in relation to an individual of a given genus and species - in comparison with various things of the same genus and species standing outside this individual
6. or in relation to an individual - in comparison with the various states of this individual itself
7. or in relation to a separate organ - in comparison with various organs located outside this organ, but in the body of a given individual
8. or in relation to a separate organ - in comparison with the various states of this organ itself.

Type one

The balance inherent in humans compared to other creatures.

Such balance is something of a certain breadth its breadth is not limited by any limit, but also does not depend on chance on the contrary, its excess and deficiency have boundaries, beyond which nature ceases to be human nature.

Second type

As for the second type, this is the middle between the extremes of the breadth of nature. Such balance occurs in a person of the most average category, who is in the very middle of that age when growth reaches its extreme limit.

Although it is not the true balance mentioned at the beginning of the paragraph, and the existence of which is considered impossible, it is still one of those things that is difficult to find. Such a person also approaches the aforementioned true balance not by the whim of chance his hot organs, such as the heart cold, such as the brain wet, such as liver and dry ones, such as bones, all match each other. When they are equal in strength and proportionate, they approach true balance. As for balance from the point of view of each organ in itself, then no! They are not balanced, with the exception of one organ, namely the skin, as we will describe later.

As for balance in relation to the pneuma and the dominant organs, the body cannot thereby approach true balance on the contrary, it always progresses to excessive heat and humidity. The fact is that the beginning of life - the heart and the pneuma - are both very hot and prone to excess heat. Life comes from heat, and growth from moisture Moreover, heat arises from humidity and is nourished by humidity.

As we will explain later, there are three main bodies. The only cold one is the brain, and its cold is not such as to equal the heat of the heart. Dry or close to dryness among the dominant organs is also one - this is the heart, but its dryness is not such as to equal the nature of the moisture of the brain or liver. The brain is also not as cold as the heart is hot, and the heart is not as dry as the brain is moist, but the heart is dry in comparison with other organs, and the brain is cold in comparison with other organs.

Third type

As for the third type, it is less broad than the first type, that is, species balance, but it still has a decent breadth. This is a nature suitable for a particular people, in accordance with a particular habitat and a particular atmosphere. Thus, the Indians have a common nature to all of them, thanks to which they are healthy, but the Slavs have a different nature, unique to them alone and keeping them healthy. Each of these two natures is balanced in relation to a given kind of people and unbalanced in relation to people of another kind. If you give the body of an Indian the nature of a Slav, then the Indian will get sick or even die the same will be the state of the Slav’s body if he is given the nature of an Indian. Consequently, each race of inhabitants of the inhabited world is characterized by a special nature corresponding to the atmosphere of its climate. This nature has a certain breadth, and this breadth is characterized by two extremes - excess and deficiency.

Fourth type

The fourth type is the middle between the extremes of the latitude of natures of a certain habitat zone. This nature is the most balanced for this type of people.

Fifth type

The fifth type is narrower than the first and third. This is the nature that a certain person must possess in order to exist, live and thrive. It is also characterized by breadth, limited by two extremes - excess and deficiency. You should know that each individual person is predisposed to a certain nature inherent in him personally it is rare or impossible for anyone else to have the same nature as him.

Sixth type

As for the sixth type, this is also something in between the same two boundaries. When a person has such a nature, then that person has the greatest balance that he should have.

Seventh type

The seventh type is the nature that each type of organ must have and which distinguishes it from the other variety. The balance inherent in the bone is that the dry predominates in the bone, and the balance inherent in the brain is that the wet predominates in the brain the balance inherent in the heart is that the hot is predominant in the heart, and the balance inherent in the nerve is that the cold is predominant in the nerve. This nature also has a certain breadth, which is limited by the extremes of excess and deficiency it is less than the breadth of the previously mentioned natures.

Eighth type

The eighth type is balance, especially inherent in each organ, so that the organ has the best nature that it can have. It is the average between these two limits, and if any organ receives such a nature, it finds itself in the most excellent condition in which it should be.

When we consider the types of living beings, the closest of them to true balance is man Having considered the races of people, we are convinced that if people live in a place equal in prosperity to the equator, and if prosperity is not hindered by any cause relating to earthly things - I mean mountains or seas - then its inhabitants must be a race of people, closest to true balance. It is certain that the opinion, which is sometimes found in books, that in such places the balance is disturbed due to the proximity of the sun, is a vicious opinion. The fact is that in such places the presence of the sun at its zenith is less painful and does not change the air temperature as much as the proximity of the sun to the earth in other areas or higher latitudes, even if the sun is not at its zenith. In addition, all the life circumstances of the inhabitants of places close to the equator are excellent and mutually similar the air does not disturb their well-being in a tangible way, but on the contrary, always corresponds to their nature. To prove the correctness of this opinion, we have already compiled a treatise.

The most balanced race of people after them are the inhabitants of the fourth climate: they do not suffer as much from the heat as the inhabitants of most regions of the second and third climates, from the fact that the sun, at certain intervals, remains overhead for a long time after it has moved away from them , but they are not, so to speak, “raw” and “immature”, like the inhabitants of most regions of the fifth climate and latitudes more distant from it, due to the fact that the sun is not above their heads for a long time.

And among individuals, man is the most balanced individual of the most balanced genus, the most balanced species of beings.

As for the balance of the organs, it is already clear from the previous that the dominant organs are not very close to true balance. On the contrary, one should even know that meat is the closest organ to such balance, and even closer than that is the skin: after all, water mixed equally - half ice, half boiling - has almost no effect on the skin, and in it the blood lived in an almost balanced warming effect and the cooling effect of the nerves. The skin also does not experience the effects of a body well mixed with the driest and softest substance, when both are present in it equally. It is known that such a body does not act on the skin only because the skin does not feel it. It is like the skin and therefore the skin does not experience its effects if it were different from the skin, then the skin would probably feel its effect. Things similar in elements and opposite in natural properties are influenced by each other. Only things that have the same qualities do not experience the influence of other things, since these things with the same qualities are similar to them.

The most balanced area of ​​the skin is the skin of the hand: the most balanced area of ​​the skin of the hand is the skin of the hand the most balanced area of ​​the skin of the hand is the skin of the palm its most balanced area is the skin on the fingers, and the most balanced is the skin of the index finger, and on the index finger the most balanced is the skin of the nail joint. Therefore, it is the skin of the nail joint of the index finger, as well as other fingers, that almost always judges, by virtue of its nature, the size of tangible things. After all, a judge must be equally inclined towards both sides in order to feel that either side has gone beyond the limits of the mean and justice. In addition to what you already know, you should know that when we say “the medicine is balanced,” we do not mean that it is actually balanced, for this is impossible, and we also do not want to say that it is inherent in its nature human equanimity: then this medicine would belong to the very substance of man. No, this means that when a medicine is exposed to the action of the innate warmth in the human body and acquires a new quality, this quality does not depart from the quality of the person in the direction of violating equality and does not have an effect that destroys balance, being, as it were, balanced in relation to its action on the body person.

In the same way, when we say that a medicine is hot or cold, we do not mean that the medicine throughout its substance is extremely hot or cold, or that its substance is colder or hotter than the human body If this were so, a balanced thing would be one whose nature is identical to the nature of man. No, what we mean by this is that such a medicine produces heat or cold in the human body that is superior to the heat or cold of the human body. Therefore, the medicine is cold in relation to the human body and hot in relation to the body of the scorpion, hot in relation to the human body and cold in relation to the body of the snake Furthermore the same medicine is hotter in relation to the body of Amr than in relation to the body of Zeid Therefore, patients being treated are told not to constantly use the same medicine to change their nature if it is not beneficial.

Now that we have said everything about the balanced nature, let’s move on to the unbalanced nature and say that there will be eight unbalanced natures - no matter whether we take them in relation to the species, genus, individual or organ, and they have this in common that they opposite to a balanced nature.

These eight natures arise as follows.

A nature that goes beyond the limits of balance can be either simple - in which case the imbalance occurs in relation to one of the two opposites - or complex - in which case the imbalance occurs simultaneously in relation to both opposites. A simple violation concerning one of the opposites may relate to the active opposite, in which case it manifests itself in two ways. Namely, nature is hotter than it should be, but not more humid than it should be, and not drier than it should be, or colder than it should be, but not drier than it should be, and not more wet than it should be . But violation can also refer to the opposite of passive, and that also occurs in two ways. Namely: nature can be drier than it should be without being hot or cold than it should be, and it can be wetter than it should be without being hot or colder than it should be. But these four violations are not permanent and do not remain stable for any long time. A hotter than it should nature makes the body drier than it should be, and a colder nature, thanks to extraneous moisture, makes the human body wetter than it should be. A nature that is drier than it should quickly makes the body colder than it should be, and a nature that is wetter than it should, if the humidity is excessive, cools the body even faster than a drier nature if the humidity is not excessive, then such a nature keeps the body healthy for a longer time, but in the end makes it colder than it should be. From this you will understand that balance and health are more associated with warmth than with cold. These are the four simple unbalanced natures.

As for complex ones, in which imbalances relate to both opposites at the same time, the nature can be, for example, both hot and humid than it should be, or hot and drier than it should be, or colder and wetter than it should be, or colder and drier than it should be however, it is impossible for nature to be at once hotter and colder than it should be, or wetter and drier than it should be.

Each of these eight natures necessarily exists:

1. either without matter, that is, bad juice I I this means that such a nature arises in the body as a single quality, and not so that the body acquires this quality due to the penetration into it of a liquid that imparts such a quality, and changes accordingly such, for example, is the warmth of things ground into powder, and the coldness of icy, chilled, snow-cooled water
2. either with matter, that is, with bad juice this means that the body acquires the quality of such a nature due to the presence of a liquid that has penetrated into it, in which this quality predominates. Such is the cooling of the human body due to glassy mucus or the heating of it due to leek-colored bile. In Books Three and Four you will find examples for each of these sixteen natures.

Know that nature and matter are of two types. Namely, the organ is sometimes immersed in matter, that is, in bad juice and is wetted by it, sometimes the matter is contained in its ducts and internal parts. Sometimes the matter contained and penetrated into the organ causes swelling, and sometimes it does not.

That's all that needs to be said about nature. And what the doctor cannot comprehend himself, let him take on faith from the natural scientist, as something established by universal consent.