BOOK III

THE TREATMENT OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASES

CHAPTER I

THAT SPECIAL TREATMENT IS NECESSARI FOR EVERT CONTAGIOUS
DISEASE

Thus far I have discussed: In my First Book, the nature of
contagion in general, its principles, causes and differentiae.
In my Second Book, I proceeded to treat of contagious diseases,
if not all of them, at least those that are well known, their nature,
the causes on which they depend, and how they differ from one
another.  It now remains for me to deal with the treatment of
all contagions, first by the general method common to all, and
then by the special method for each disease. 'To begin with,
some doubt may perhaps be expressed whether contagious dis—
eases have each its own special and peculiar treatment, different
from the others, and whether this has been recorded by our an—
cestors.  For it seems strange that, if there was a special method
for these diseases, it should have been omitted by them. But
surely, if I have been correct in my views about contagion, de—
fined above, contagious diseases do require each its own special
and definite treatment, in so far as those diseases are contagious.
For I have said that they differ widely from other diseases in
their principle, the mode of their substance and its putrefaction,
and lastly in their accidents. And every one of these calls for
special study and a special method of treatment. For instance,
when a man in good health as regards his own humors and his
system, and also in other respects, nevertheless catches phthisis
from another, by contagion, it is of the utmost importance
that you should be called in at the initial stage, and that you
should destroy the germs of that contagion by the means that I

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