XIX. De Collo.
Collo corpori caput coniungitur. Ex cartilaginosa carne collum creatur, et hoc interius magis. Multitudo venarum in collo est, per quas a corde usque ad quinque officia sensuum animus effundatur. Collum tantum prope in homine parum a suo loco reflectitur, in anterius quidem, dextra levaque, sed post se nequit. Animalium vero collum in posterius sicut in anterius ad libitum reflectuntur, preterquam leonis, lupi et hyene, qui rectis cervicibus rigent; avium vero omnuim indifferenter.
Si quis collum aliquo casu lesum vel subito distortum vel quasi distortum et contortum habuerit, verberentur plante pedum eius assere, et convalescet patiens. Si dolorem in collo habueris vel in scapulis, melle prius despumato inunge et postea farinam fabarum et folia tunsa hedere confice cum melle et superpone.
- Translation
- Vocabulary
- Notes
19. About the neck.
The head is connected to the body by the neck. The neck is created out of cartilaginous flesh, and to greater extent this is in the interior. A multitude of arteries are in the neck, through which from the heart all the way to the five duties of the senses, the sense is poured forth. The neck, nearly in bend, is bent very little from its position, certainly in the front, the right and left, but it is unable to lift itself to the back. Of course the neck of other animals bends at the back just as in the front as much as it wants, besides the lion, the wolf and hyena, who are stiff with straight necks; the necks of all birds certainly bend indiscriminately.
If someone were to have a neck hurt by some event or suddenly twisted or as if twisted and turned, the soles of his feet should be whipped by a pole, and the suffering person will recover. If you were to have pain in your neck or shoulder blade, first anoint it with skimmed honey, and second prepare bean flour and beaten ivy leaves with honey and put it on.
Animus, animi m. : mind; intellect; soul; spirit
Asser, -is m.: beam, pole
Cartilaginosus, -a, -um m.: cartilaginous, characterized by/full of cartilage
Cāsus, -ūs m.: fall, event, occurence
Cervix, cervicis f.: neck, nape
Contorqueō, contorquēre, contorsī, contortum: to twist, turn, contort
Convalēscō, convalēscere, convaluī: to recover, gain strength
Dēspūmō, dēspūmāre, dēspūmāvī, dēspūmātum: to skim (off)
Distorqueō, distorquēre, distorsī, distortum: to twist, turn, distort
Faba, -ae f.: bean
Farina, -ae f.: flour, dough; dust
Folium, foliī n.: leaf
Hedera, -ae f.: ivy
Hyaena, hyaenae f.: hyena
Indifferenter: indifferently; indiscriminately; interchangeably
Inunguō, inunguere, inūnxī, inūnctum: to anoint
Laedō, laedere, laesī, laesum: to strike, hurt
Patior, patī, passus sum: to suffer, endure
Planta, -ae f.: vegetable, sprout; sole (of the foot)
Quasi: as if, as
Quinque, quintus -a, -um, quini -ae, -a, quinquie(n)s: 5
Reflecto, reflectere, reflexi, reflexus: bend back; turn back; turn around
Scapula, -ae f.: shoulder blade
Tundō, tundere, tutudī, tūnsum: to beat, pound, crush
Verberō, verberāre, verberāvī, verberātum: to lash, whip
per quas. . . effundatur: A pre-Cartesian concept established by Aristotle where the mind is responsible for the rational and intellectual functions, while the heart administers the senses and cognitive functions. This was a widely accepted concept among medieval theologian writers, as it integrated with Christian ideological thought about desire, will, intention, sin, and virtue. For more informations see The medieval mind | The Psychologist (bps.org.uk).
tantum prope: “nearly in bend”
ad libitum– “as much as it wants”
hyene: hyenae
avium. . . indifferenter: understand collum with avium as the subject and reflectuntur as its verb.
plante: plantae