Regimen of Health
THE FIRST CHAPTER
On the Regimen of Health in General, Applicable
to all Men, in a few Words
THE FIRST CHAPTER
On the Regimen of Health in General, Applicable
to all Men, in a few Words
Our intention in this chapter is to set forth rules that are easy to follow, and which are of great value in the regimen of health. These are universal precepts of the great physicians. Among these is the statement of Hippocrates that the conservation of health lies in abstaining from repletion and forsaking the disinclination to exertion. Note how Hippocrates embraces the entire regimen of health in two dicta, that is, that a man should not surfeit himself and should not neglect exercise. This is because repletion, that is, eating until the appetite departs and repugnance commences, requires filling the stomach to the utmost of its capacity, and distending it. When any organ becomes distended, its connections are loosened and its vigor is necessarily weakened. The stomach will in no wise digest such a meal adequately; indolence, feebleness of movement and heaviness of the meal will occur, and even more so when much water is drunk after the satiating meal. This is necessarily required in repletion, for nature requires water to float the meal and ease the stomach.
Perforce, there is no escape from the occurrence of one of two things: either an indigestion, a severe one causing death or a mild one causing illness, or corruption of the digestion. The kinds of corruption vary greatly according to the various kinds of food eaten, according to the various temperaments, and according to the various predispositions of the organs to disease. When the meal is digested poorly in the stomach, its second digestion in the liver is bound also to be bad, and its third digestion in all the organs will perforce be worst of all. This is the cause of all kinds of diseases in great variety. Galen has said in these words: He who wishes to avoid all illness should take care to avoid indigestion, and should not move about after the meal. Because of this grave danger, all physicians have cautioned against eating to repletion and ordered one to withdraw his hand from the meal while appetite still remains, before it departs, and to abstain from distending the stomach and overfilling it.
Physicians all agree, that taking a little food of bad quality is less harmful than taking much good and laudable food. This is because when a man takes bad foods and does not overeat, they are digested well, and the organs derive from them all that is beneficial. The expulsive faculty is strengthened and expels their evil superfluities, and no damage at all occurs, or if any occurs, it is not serious. But in repletion, even if it is with well prepared bread and laudable meat, the digestion will in no wise progress well; we have already mentioned the cause of this.
To guard against repletion, physicians have warned against eating many dishes and recommended limiting each meal to one dish, so that one does not overeat, and the appetite subsides before surfeit occurs. He will also be saved from a diversity of digestions, for different dishes are digested in different digestions, each dish according to its nature.
The view of this Servant regarding the determination of the quantity of food for anyone who wishes to conserve his health, is to take in the temperate season an amount that does not distend the stomach, or burden it and impede the digestion. When it becomes clear that this is a good measure, inasmuch as it does not cause evil eructation or arouse thirst, but is pleasant and light, making the stools moderate, continuous and tending slightly toward softness, then this is the proper measure to keep on taking.
When the weather becomes warmer, one should reduce the amount of food, since in the summer the digestions are feeble because of the dispersal of the natural heat. When the weather turns cooler, the amount should be increased, for in the winter the digestions are strong because of the increase of the natural heat in the interior of the body, owing to the constriction of the pores, and satiety will not be reached.
This Servant says: If man were to conduct himself as he manages the animal he rides, he would be safeguarded from many ailments. That is, you find no one who throws fodder to his animal haphazardly, but rather he measures it out to her according to her tolerance. Yet he himself eats indiscriminately, without measure. Moreover, he takes into consideration the activity of his animal and exercises her, so that she does not stand still forever and be ruined. Yet he does not do this for himself, or pay attention to the exercise of his own body, which is the cornerstone of the conservation of health and the repulsion of most ailments.
Long before us, Hippocrates stated that the maintenance of health lies in forsaking the disinclination to exertion. Nothing is to be found that can substitute for exercise in any way, because in exercise the natural heat flames up and all the superfluities are expelled, while at rest the flame of the natural heat subsides and superfluities are engendered in the body, even though the food is of the very best quality and is moderate in quantity. And exercise will expel the harm done by most of the bad regimens that most men follow.
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Perforce, there is no escape from the occurrence of one of two things: either an indigestion, a severe one causing death or a mild one causing illness, or corruption of the digestion. The kinds of corruption vary greatly according to the various kinds of food eaten, according to the various temperaments, and according to the various predispositions of the organs to disease. When the meal is digested poorly in the stomach, its second digestion in the liver is bound also to be bad, and its third digestion in all the organs will perforce be worst of all. This is the cause of all kinds of diseases in great variety. Galen has said in these words: He who wishes to avoid all illness should take care to avoid indigestion, and should not move about after the meal. Because of this grave danger, all physicians have cautioned against eating to repletion and ordered one to withdraw his hand from the meal while appetite still remains, before it departs, and to abstain from distending the stomach and overfilling it.
Physicians all agree, that taking a little food of bad quality is less harmful than taking much good and laudable food. This is because when a man takes bad foods and does not overeat, they are digested well, and the organs derive from them all that is beneficial. The expulsive faculty is strengthened and expels their evil superfluities, and no damage at all occurs, or if any occurs, it is not serious. But in repletion, even if it is with well prepared bread and laudable meat, the digestion will in no wise progress well; we have already mentioned the cause of this.
To guard against repletion, physicians have warned against eating many dishes and recommended limiting each meal to one dish, so that one does not overeat, and the appetite subsides before surfeit occurs. He will also be saved from a diversity of digestions, for different dishes are digested in different digestions, each dish according to its nature.
The view of this Servant regarding the determination of the quantity of food for anyone who wishes to conserve his health, is to take in the temperate season an amount that does not distend the stomach, or burden it and impede the digestion. When it becomes clear that this is a good measure, inasmuch as it does not cause evil eructation or arouse thirst, but is pleasant and light, making the stools moderate, continuous and tending slightly toward softness, then this is the proper measure to keep on taking.
When the weather becomes warmer, one should reduce the amount of food, since in the summer the digestions are feeble because of the dispersal of the natural heat. When the weather turns cooler, the amount should be increased, for in the winter the digestions are strong because of the increase of the natural heat in the interior of the body, owing to the constriction of the pores, and satiety will not be reached.
This Servant says: If man were to conduct himself as he manages the animal he rides, he would be safeguarded from many ailments. That is, you find no one who throws fodder to his animal haphazardly, but rather he measures it out to her according to her tolerance. Yet he himself eats indiscriminately, without measure. Moreover, he takes into consideration the activity of his animal and exercises her, so that she does not stand still forever and be ruined. Yet he does not do this for himself, or pay attention to the exercise of his own body, which is the cornerstone of the conservation of health and the repulsion of most ailments.
Long before us, Hippocrates stated that the maintenance of health lies in forsaking the disinclination to exertion. Nothing is to be found that can substitute for exercise in any way, because in exercise the natural heat flames up and all the superfluities are expelled, while at rest the flame of the natural heat subsides and superfluities are engendered in the body, even though the food is of the very best quality and is moderate in quantity. And exercise will expel the harm done by most of the bad regimens that most men follow.
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Not all motion is exercise to the physicians. What is termed exercise is powerful or rapid motion or a combination of both, that is, vigorous motion with which the respiration alters, and one begins to heave sighs. Whatever exceeds this is exertion, that is to say that very strong exercise is called exertion. Although not everyone can endure exertion, or needs it, it is nonetheless better in the conservation of health than the omission of exercise. It is not advisable to exercise except upon an empty stomach and after expulsion of the superfluities, that is, the urine and the feces. Nor should one exercise in the intense heat or in the intense cold. The best time for exercise is at the beginning of the day, upon awakening from sleep, and after the expulsion of the superfluities, as we have mentioned.
Among the sayings of Galen, embracing the regimen of health, it is said: Just as motion before the meal is all good, so motion after the meal is all evil. You should know that any movement after the meal is most harmful; by that I mean no strenuous movement, no coitus, and no bath, because these are very harmful, especially to those whose veins are by nature narrow and thin. To them the danger is grave. But it is permissible after the meal to walk a little from one side of the room to another, so that the meal will settle to the bottom of the stomach and remain there until it is digested. Sleep aids the digestion, and especially in those who are accustomed to sleep during the day.
It is one of the rules of the regimen of health not to introduce one meal upon another, and not to eat except after true hunger, when the stomach is empty, the saliva is drawn into the mouth, and the hunger is justified. This is the time when a meal is beneficial. One should not drink water except after genuine thirst; that is to say, that should one be hungry or thirsty, he should wait a while since a false hunger and also a false thirst can arise from an evil and mordicant humor vexing the mouth of the stomach. Should these subside, one should not take anything, but if this hunger or thirst increases, one should then eat or drink. Drinking water following a meal is bad, corrupting the digestion, except when one is accustomed to it. One should not drink anything with the meal, or after it, as long as it is in the stomach, except pure, cold water; it should not be mixed with anything.
It is one of the rules of the regimen of health not to retain the superfluities in any way; rather, when there is need to expel them, one should hasten to do so.
It is not proper to take food, or enter a bath, or copulate, or sleep, or exercise, until one takes account of himself and tries to expel the superfluities; following these five things one should also take account of himself.
Another rule in the regimen of health is to pay attention to the quality of the food. This is a very broad topic, requiring a knowledge of the nature of all the foods, of each and every kind. The physicians have already compiled lengthy books on this subject, and they are justified, for it is a very important matter. But considering the intention of this discourse, and taking into account the foods that are customary among us, and in great abundance, I shall offer some beneficial generalizations.
One of these is that the good foods, that ought to be adopted by every one who desires the continuation of his health, are wheaten bread properly prepared, the meat of sheep that are one or two years old, the meat of the chicken, the francolin, the grouse, the turtle dove and the partridge, and the yolk of the hen's egg. What I mean by properly prepared bread is that is should be made from fully ripened wheat, dried of its superfluous moisture, in which spoilage from age has not begun. The bread should be made of coarse flour; that is to say, the husk should not be removed and the bran should not be refined by sifting. It should be well raised and noticeably salty. It should be well worked during kneading, and should be baked in the oven. This is the bread that to the physicians is properly prepared; it is the best of foods.
You ought to know that all that is made from wheat except this bread is in no wise good food. On the contrary, very bad foods are made from it, such as unleavened bread, dough cooked like noodles and vermicelli-that which the Persians call tutmaj [Farina], flour that is cooked like pap and porridge, dough that is fried like a pancake, and bread that is kneaded in olive oil or in any other oil. All these are very bad nutrients for all men. Likewise, white bread, bread made of semolina, and the harisah [crushed wheat with oil, butter, meat and spices added], are not good nutrients. Although they are good once they are digested, they require a stomach with a powerful digestion, and only then do they nourish well and abundantly.
Those meats that we have mentioned are not all of the same nature, and are not equally laudable. The best meat of cattle is that of the sheep that graze on the foothills, are one or two years old, and are moderately fat. The best of this meat is the forequarter, and that which adheres to the bone. All that is in the abdomen is bad. Fat is all bad; it surfeits, corrupts the digestion, suppresses the appetite and generates phlegmy humor. Likewise, the head of all animals has more superfluities than the rest of their members. The extremities of animals, by that I mean the shanks, are devoid of superfluities and their nutritive quality is not bad. Lamb has many superfluities, and there is no good in it, but the suckling kid is a good nutrient and is rapidly digested. The meat of the fowl in general is lighter than the meat of cattle, and is digested faster. The best of the meat of the fowl is that which we have mentioned.
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Freshly drawn milk is a good nutrient for those in whom it does not sour in the stomach, or resolve into flatus, or give rise to ventosity in the loins. One ought to add to it a little honey with a grain of salt, as Galen has mentioned, so that it will not curdle in the stomach. The best of all milk is the thinnest, such as goat's milk; the milk of the she-camel is also good.
All that is made from milk or mixed with it is very bad, that is to say, the curdled, the mixed, and the strained; similarly, all that is cooked from milk or cooked in it are bad foods. As for cheese, it is a very bad and heavy nutrient, excepting the cheese that is fresh, white in color, sweet of taste and light in fat. Galen says that its nourishment is good, and praises it, but all that is similar to it is very bad, and particularly aged cheese rich in fat. As for butter and clarified butter, there is no evil in their nourishment; they are permissible to all men.
Bees' honey is good nourishment for the old, but is contraindicated for the young, and especially for those of hot temperament, for it will change into yellow bile.
Most fish are bad nutrients, especially for those of humid temperament and for the aged. The large of body among them, the salted, those that congregate in bad water, and those that abound in fat and viscidity are particularly bad. But the fish that are small of body, white and frangible of flesh, sweet of taste, from the sea or running waters, like those called mullet or pilchard, are not bad nutriments; nonetheless, one should restrict them.
It is known among all physicians, that the best of all nutriments is that which was prohibited in Islam [ie. Wine]. It combines the laudable qualities of all foods, because it nourishes with good, abundant, and delicious nourishment, it is quick to be digested, and at the same time it aids the digestion, expels the superfluities from the pores, and pours forth the urine and the sweat. It has other virtues besides these, and many advantages already enumerated by the physicians. But words about that which is illicit are futile, and therefore we have omitted mentioning its varieties and the manner of its consumption from the standpoint of the regimen of health.
Those vegetables that are generally bad for all people, are garlic, onion, leek, radish, cabbage, and eggplant [bad as they are hard of digestion, unless prepared correctly]; these are very bad for whoever wishes to conserve his health. The cucumber and the gourd are less harmful. As for the yellow melon, if it is eaten alone at the beginning of the day on an empty stomach, and there is no evil humor present in the stomach nor is there a bad temperament in it, then it will be digested well, and it will cool the body a little, pour forth the urine, cleanse the veins, and empty what is in them. On such occasions its nourishment will not be bad; I have mentioned this only because people eat much of it.
As to fresh fruits, it should be known that all that the trees produce are generally bad nourishment for everyone; some, moreover, excel in badness. Among these are those that are very bad nutrients like the carob, the lota fruit and the azarole, and those of lesser badness, close to being good, like figs and grapes. Galen says that figs and grapes are like princes to the rest of the fruits, and that they are less evil; nonetheless, they are not exempt from the censure that attaches to the consumption of all fruit. Let no one mistake my statement that all that the tree produces is of evil nourishment, since conserves of fruits, their syrups and the confections made from them are beneficial in particular diseases, because consideration of the nutrient, as a nutrient, is different from its consideration as a medicament. This is clear to anyone who knows the principles of the Art of Medicine.
Galen has a dictum expressed in the form of a precept, swearing to God that it is the ultimate in advice, in which he prohibits the eating of fruits. He said that he used to have a fever every year until his father forbade him to eat any fruit at all, and he was saved from the fever that year. He continued all his days to avoid fruit, and he swore that he did not have a fever from then on up to the time he made that statement, except an ephemeral fever. What he says is the truth, for the fruits of the summertime are the substance of fever. It does not argue against us that many people eat fruit and do not have fever, for indeed, custom and differences of predisposition have their own laws. Were a Hindu to eat the properly prepared bread and mutton he would perforce sicken, or were one of us to persist in eating rice as the Hindus always do, he would necessarily become sick. But the purpose of this treatise does not require elucidation of the reasons for this; rather, its intention is to make it clear that fruits are generally bad and that one should restrict them.
They should not be mingled with the meal in any way. One should partake of such of them as are aperient, like prunes and grapes and figs, before the meal, and should not eat a meal following them until they leave the stomach. One should eat those that are astringent, like quinces and pears, after the meal, and only a little of these should be taken, in an amount that will strengthen the stomach.
As the best of the fruits are grapes and figs, so the worst are the peach and the apricot. Digestion will not, in any way, overcome these two kinds, and of necessity the superfluities of their juices will remain in the veins mixed with the blood, and will boil. This is a major factor in the generation of putrid fevers.
But dry fruits, such as currants, dry figs, and the kernels of dried almonds and pistachio, are not bad. It is good to partake of them after the meal, especially of the currants and the pistachio, for they are greatly beneficial to the liver. In the health of the liver lies our livelihood, as Galen has also said. It is also good to take a few sweets after the meal, so that the stomach retains the meal and digests it.
This is what I have seen fit to mention in this chapter; it is sufficient for my purpose.
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