Stroffus

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Stroffus Theodorus Priscianus capitulo de yliaca yliorum inquit et colicorum et strofi similis est omnibus doloris molestia diversis tamen accidentibus separatur strofus ventris et levis tantummodo dolor et cetera, Cassius felix strofus .i. tortio.


Apparatus:

Stroffus AC | Strofus B efj | Strophus p
yliaca | illiaca ms. e
{yliaca} ul’ add. j
yliorum | illiorum B
colicorum | collicorum ms. e | coliorũ B
{et} | strophi j
est omnibus | o. e. ms. f | est omnis AC
{diversis} ta͞m e | tm̃ A | tñ B fjp | tantũ C {tamen and tantum have the same abbreviation, cf. Cappelli 376, 2nd col.}
separatur | separantur Theod.Prisc.
{separatur} etc. add. j
{separatur} strofus ABC fp | Strophus ej {rubricated in j}
{ventris} et | ē ms. p {= est}
leuis | lenis AC
{felix} strofus | strophus p
{felix} siue l’ fius? or fuis? add. j
tortio AC | torcio (-c͞o jp) B fjp | stracton? e


Translation:

Stroffus: Theodorus Priscianus in his chapter De yliaca {"On iliac pains"} says: The infliction of pain that comes with the diseases of the lower abdomen (ilea) and colic (colica) and twisted bowels (strofus) is very similar in all these afflictions but they differ from each other in their symptoms. Twisted bowel is only a light pain of the belly, etc.

Cassius Felix says: strofus means tortio {"a twisting"}.


Commentary:

Greek στρόφος /stróphos/ means literally "twisted band, cord, rope"; but then also "twisting the bowels, colic" (LSJ). It was adopted into Latin as strophus, often written phonetically in Late and Medieval Latin strof(f)us.

ilea:
For ilea see Ilion, Ylia. Simon's form yliorum from ylia has "y" due to the interchangeability of "y" and "i" in medieval Latin.

The vowel combinations –ea-/-eo- and –ia-/-io--, which were kept separate in classical Latin, merged into –ia-/-io- resp. in Vulgar Latin and were from then on up to the Renaissance period no longer distinguished. Unsurprisingly the spellings yleorum and Illiorum, Illyorum are listed in Rose's apparatus and Simon could simply have accepted the spelling he found in his source.

For colica:
see Colon (1), Colon (2), Colades.

Simon's entry is an excerpt from Theodorus Priscianus Euporiston, 2, 9, ed. Rose (1894: 125): De ilio, colicis, strofo [[1]]: Ileorum colicorum et strofu similis est omnibus doloris molestia, diversis attamen accidentibus separantur. Strofos est levis ventris tantummodo dolor

Theodorus Priscianus sees these afflictions on a scale of gravity. Least painful is strophus, i.e. it only causes a pain in the belly; of the other two afflictions Simon does not mention the symptoms: colica involves more severe pain: colicorum vero intestini unius querella gravissima est - "very bad pains of this particular part of the intestines".

And worst of all is
ilea, its symptoms involve the whole body – ventositas totius ventris … vesicae inguinum coxarum et omnium vicinarum partium dolor ... stercora cogantur excludere, scybalorum interclusione nimia conligantur - "flatulence in the stomach, pain in bladder, intestines, hips and all neighbouring parts and the patients are hindered by extreme blockage of bowel evacuation", leading ultimately to faecal vomiting (copremesis) (Rose, 1894: 126): stercora cogantur excludere.

Simon is finally referring briefly to Cassius Felix, who in his De medicina, 51, 9, ed. Fraisse (2001: 149), Ad colicam et iliacam {"For colic and iliac pains"}, offers a certain recipe, which he says is: Ad colum et ischuriam id est urinae abstinentiam et ad strofum {v.l. scrofum} id est tortum ventris – "For colic and ischuria, i.e. urinary retention and for strofus, i.e. twisting of the bowels".
This text is also available online in the Rose edition (1894: 134.2): [[2]].

WilfGunther (talk) 11:28, 26 November 2015 (GMT)

See also: Scuria


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