Epidemics (1.3.16-1.3.18)

Though many women fell ill, they were fewer than the men and less frequently died. But the great majority had difficult childbirth, and after giving birth they would fall ill, and these especially died, as did the daughter of Telebulus on the sixth day after delivery. Now menstruation appeared during the fevers in most cases, and with many maidens it occurred then for the first time. Some bled from the nose. Sometimes both epistaxis and menstruation appeared together; for example, the maiden daughter of Daitharses had her first menstruation during fever and also a violent discharge from the nose. I know of no woman who died if any of these symptoms showed themselves properly, but all to my knowledge had abortions if they chanced to fall ill when with child.

Urine in most cases was of good colour, but thin and with slight sediments, and the bowels of most were disordered with thin, bilious excretions. Many after a crisis of the other symptoms ended with dysentery, as did Xenophanes and Critias. I will mention cases in which was passed copious, watery, clear and thin urine, even after a crisis in other respects favourable, and a favourable sediment: Bion, who lay sick at the house of Silenus, Cratis, who lodged with Xenophanes, the slave of Areto, and the wife of Mnesistratus. Afterwards all these suffered from dysentery.

About the season of Arcturus many had crisis on

About the equinox up to the setting of the Pleiades, and during winter, although the ardent fevers continued, yet cases of phrenitis were most frequent at this time, and most of them were fatal. In summer, too, a few cases had occurred. Now the sufferers from ardent fever, when fatal symptoms attended, showed signs at the beginning. For right from the beginning there was acute fever with slight rigors, sleeplessness, thirst, nausea, slight sweats about the forehead and collar-bones, but in no case general, much delirium, fears, depression, very cold extremities, toes and hands, especially the latter. The exacerbations on the even days; but in most cases the pains were greatest on the fourth day, with sweat for the most part chilly, while the extremities could not now be warmed again, remaining livid and cold; and in these cases the thirst ceased. Their urine was scanty, black, thin, with constipation of the bowels. Nor was there hemorrhage from the nose in any case when these symptoms occurred, but only slight epistaxis. None of these cases suffered relapse, but they died on the sixth day, with sweating. The cases of phrenitis had all the above symptoms, but the crises generally occurred on the eleventh day. Some had their crises on the twentieth day, namely those in whom the phrenitis did not begin at first, or began about the third or fourth day, but