Epaferes

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Epaferes greci vocant secundam detractionem sanguinis, Cassius felix capitulo de igne sacro quod est erisipila.


Apparatus:

Epaferes B e | Epafere f | Epafares AC

detractionem (-nẽ A) AC | -ctiõem e | -ctiõeʒ f | deterĩationẽ B

erisipila ABC f | -pilla e


Translation:

Epaferes is what the Greeks call a second withdrawal of blood, says Cassius Felix in his chapter De igne sacro {“On the sacred fire”}, which is also called erisipila.


Commentary:

Simon refers to Cassius Felix, De medicina, pp. 48/49, chapter xxiv, Ad ignem sacrum {“On the sacred fire”}. In § 1 Cassius describes the signs and symptoms of erysipelas and § 2, p. 49, he goes on to give advice on cures: In curationibus autem si grandis fuerit erysipelas, flebotomare oportet et secundam detractionem facere quam epafaeresin vocant ... – “But for healing, if the erysipelas is advanced, it is reasonable to let blood and to draw blood for the second time, which the Greeks term epaphaeresis".

Greek ἐπαφαίρεσις /epiphaíresis/ means “a fresh taking away of blood”. The word consists of ἐπ -or ἐπι- /ep-, epi-/ {“adding to”} + ἀφαίρεσις /aphaíresis/ {“taking away, removal”}.

Simon's form shows a late Greek sound change αι > ε {/ai/ > /e/} in –fer-. The ending /–is/, often only written in abbreviated form in the mss., was most likely missed by a copyist untrained in Greek.


See Erisipila


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