主題: 古希臘的醫療
Iliad 11. 804-848
Iliad第十一卷開始於Agamemnon 和希臘大軍情勢看好高漲，高傲、氣勢甚燄，但卻結束在傷亡慘重，最後節節敗退，Odysseus準備開會討論，進來的是一跛一跛的Eurypylus，他的腿骨中箭，此刻滿身大汗，傷口還猛噴「黑色的鮮血」，看見此景象Patroclus悲憤感概，難道全希臘人裏，都沒人可以贏過Hector?
Eurypylus回答，希臘大將幾乎全部陣亡或受重傷，他要求Patroclus幫他處理傷口。這段描述，說明古代戰場上，主要的疾病就是刀槍傷，處理的方式，第一，把劍拔出，用溫水洗乾淨傷口，特別是流出的血；第二，是用藥草療傷。
Eurypylus要Patroclus幫忙處理傷口，原因是，希臘大軍的隨軍醫官Podaleirius和 Machaon此刻也受重傷；而Achilles曾和古希臘的「醫學系主任」Cheiron學過點醫術，而Achilles也教過Patroclus。
果真，Patroclus雖沒有醫術高超，但緊急時刻還是派得上用場，立即扶受傷的Eurypylus 到營帳，病人躺在牛皮墊上，而Partoclus用的是快刀劀出腿骨中銳利的箭矢，又用熱水洗淨腿上的黑血，抹的草藥是神奇的根(ῥίζα)，磨碎後敷上傷口，不但止痛，傷口也立即乾淨，有有止血效果。
第十一卷在止痛與止血的這點結束。
只是，我有點納悶，那神奇的草藥，那不知名植物的根，究竟是甚麼?
τὸν δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ Εὐρύπυλος βεβλημένος ἀντίον ηὔδα:
‘οὐκέτι διογενὲς Πατρόκλεες ἄλκαρ Ἀχαιῶν
ἔσσεται, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν νηυσὶ μελαίνῃσιν πεσέονται.
οἳ μὲν γὰρ δὴ πάντες, ὅσοι πάρος ἦσαν ἄριστοι,
ἐν νηυσὶν κέαται βεβλημένοι οὐτάμενοί τε
χερσὶν ὕπο Τρώων: τῶν δὲ σθένος ὄρνυται αἰέν.
ἀλλ᾽ ἐμὲ μὲν σὺ σάωσον ἄγων ἐπὶ νῆα
μέλαιναν,
μηροῦ δ᾽ ἔκταμ᾽ ὀϊστόν, ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ δ᾽ αἷμα
κελαινὸν
νίζ᾽ ὕδατι λιαρῷ, ἐπὶ δ᾽ ἤπια φάρμακα
πάσσε
ἐσθλά, τά σε
προτί φασιν Ἀχιλλῆος δεδιδάχθαι,
ὃν Χείρων ἐδίδαξε δικαιότατος
Κενταύρων.
ἰητροὶ μὲν γὰρ Ποδαλείριος ἠδὲ Μαχάων
τὸν μὲν ἐνὶ κλισίῃσιν ὀΐομαι ἕλκος ἔχοντα
χρηΐζοντα καὶ αὐτὸν ἀμύμονος ἰητῆρος
κεῖσθαι: ὃ δ᾽ ἐν πεδίῳ Τρώων μένει ὀξὺν Ἄρηα.’
τὸν δ᾽ αὖτε προσέειπε Μενοιτίου ἄλκιμος υἱός:
‘πῶς τὰρ ἔοι τάδε ἔργα; τί ῥέξομεν Εὐρύπυλ᾽ ἥρως;
ἔρχομαι ὄφρ᾽ Ἀχιλῆϊ δαΐφρονι μῦθον ἐνίσπω
ὃν Νέστωρ ἐπέτελλε Γερήνιος οὖρος Ἀχαιῶν:
ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὧς περ σεῖο μεθήσω τειρομένοιο.’
ἦ, καὶ ὑπὸ στέρνοιο λαβὼν ἄγε ποιμένα λαῶν
ἐς κλισίην: θεράπων δὲ ἰδὼν ὑπέχευε βοείας.
ἔνθά μιν ἐκτανύσας ἐκ μηροῦ τάμνε
μαχαίρῃ
ὀξὺ βέλος περιπευκές, ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ δ᾽ αἷμα
κελαινὸν
νίζ᾽ ὕδατι λιαρῷ, ἐπὶ δὲ ῥίζαν βάλε
πικρὴν
χερσὶ διατρίψας ὀδυνήφατον, ἥ οἱ ἁπάσας
ἔσχ᾽ ὀδύνας: τὸ μὲν ἕλκος ἐτέρσετο,
παύσατο δ᾽ αἷμα. (Iliad 11.822-48)
Wise Eurypylus then said in answer to Patroclus:
“Lord Patroclus, there’s no longer anything
can save Achaeans, who’ll fall back to their black ships.
All those who were our finest fighters
are lying by the ships, hurt or wounded
at Trojan hands, whose strength keeps growing.
But take me safely back to my black ship,
cut the arrow from my thigh, and with warm water
wash away the black blood there, then rub on
fine soothing medication, whose use, they say,
Achilles taught you, an art he learned
from Cheiron, most righteous of the Centaurs.
Of our healers, Podalerius and Machaon,
one, I believe, lies wounded in our huts,
himself requiring some worthy healer,
the other’s out there on the plains, holding off
the fighting spirit of the Trojans.”
can save Achaeans, who’ll fall back to their black ships.
All those who were our finest fighters
are lying by the ships, hurt or wounded
at Trojan hands, whose strength keeps growing.
But take me safely back to my black ship,
cut the arrow from my thigh, and with warm water
wash away the black blood there, then rub on
fine soothing medication, whose use, they say,
Achilles taught you, an art he learned
from Cheiron, most righteous of the Centaurs.
Of our healers, Podalerius and Machaon,
one, I believe, lies wounded in our huts,
himself requiring some worthy healer,
the other’s out there on the plains, holding off
the fighting spirit of the Trojans.”
Menoetius’ fine son then said to Eurypylus:
“How can you get this cure? What can we
do,
noble Eurypylus? I’m on my way
to inform warlike Achilles of the news
which Geranian Nestor, Achaea’s guardian,
asked me to report. But I won’t leave you
in such suffering.”
noble Eurypylus? I’m on my way
to inform warlike Achilles of the news
which Geranian Nestor, Achaea’s guardian,
asked me to report. But I won’t leave you
in such suffering.”
When Patroclus had finished,
he put his arm around Eurypylus’ chest, then took
that shepherd of his people to his hut. Seeing them,
an aide put down some ox hides. Settling him there,
with a knife Patroclus cut out the arrow, razor sharp,
from his thigh, and washed the blood off with warm water.
He put some bitter root onto his hands and rubbed it in,
something to relieve the hurt, remove all pain.
The wound then dried, and blood stopped flowing.
he put his arm around Eurypylus’ chest, then took
that shepherd of his people to his hut. Seeing them,
an aide put down some ox hides. Settling him there,
with a knife Patroclus cut out the arrow, razor sharp,
from his thigh, and washed the blood off with warm water.
He put some bitter root onto his hands and rubbed it in,
something to relieve the hurt, remove all pain.
The wound then dried, and blood stopped flowing.
再仔細讀這一段，就會發現Patroclus 的傷口處理比較簡化。第一，他沒有像之前Machaon處理Menelaus的傷口時，有把傷口的毒物吸出(Iliad 4.218-219); 第二，Patroclus也沒包紮傷口，之後另一處會提到希臘人用羊毛捆成包紮的繃帶 (Iliad 13. 599-600)。再想想，Odysseus年輕時受傷居然用「咒語」止血(Odyssey
19. 457-8)，Patroclus還是比較科學一點點。
Iliad 11. 846行提到的「根」，可能是治傷草(woundwort) 的根，中文翻譯有幾種可能：藥用水蘇、療傷絨毛花、聚合草、西門肺草等。此用法還出現在Iliad 16.28; Iliad 4.190; Iliad 15.394;
比較Odyssey 10. 304，提到另一種植物的根，雪蓮花(Moly):
http://homegplant.blogspot.tw/2014/09/51-moly.html。
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