On the Causes and Symptoms of Acute Diseases (2.4)

HEAT, indeed, everywhere, both acrid and subtil, but especially in the internal parts; respiration hot, as if from fire; inhalation of air large; desire of cold; dryness of tongue; parchedness of lips and skin; extremities cold; urine intensely tinged with bile; insomnolency; pulse frequent, small, and feeble; eyes clear, glancing, reddish; healthy colour of the countenance.

But if the affection increase, all appearances become greater and worse; the pulse very small and very frequent; heat very dry and very acrid; intellect wavering; ignorance of all things; they are thirsty; a desire to touch anything cold, whether a wall, a garment, the floor, or a fluid; hands cold, palms thereof very hot, nails livid; breathing thick; perspiration like dew about the forehead and clavicles.

But if nature attain the extremity of dryness and of heat, the hot is converted into cold, and the parched into humidity; for extreme intensities of things change to the opposite state. When, therefore, the bonds of life are dissolved, this is syncope. Then is there an irrestrainable sweat over all the body; respiration cold, much vapour about the nostrils; they have no thirst, and yet the other parts are parched except the organs of thirst, namely, the mouth and stomach; the urine thin and watery; belly for the most part dry, yet in certain cases the discharges are scanty and bilious; a redundancy of

As to the state of the soul, every sense is pure, the intellect acute, the gnostic powers prophetic; for they prognosticate to themselves, in the first place, their own departure from life; then they foretell what will afterwards take place to those present, who fancy sometimes that they are delirious; but these persons wonder at the result of what has been said. Others, also, talk to certain of the dead, perchance they alone perceiving them to be present, in virtue of their acute and pure sense, or perchance from their soul seeing beforehand, and announcing the men with whom they are about to associate. For formerly they were immersed in humours, as if in mud and darkness; but when the disease has drained these off, and taken away the mist from their eyes, they perceive those things which are in the air, and with the naked soul become true prophets. But those who have attained such a degree of refinement in their humours and understanding will scarcely recover, the vital power having been already evaporated into air.