Aretaeus on disease in old age

Aretaeus the Cappadocian was one of the great physicians of antiquity. Excerpts are quoted from his descriptions of various acute and chronic diseases, especially in relation to old age. Two of his aphorisms are particularly pertinent: 1) “One must be fertile in expedients and not be satisfied to apply his mind entirely to the writings of others.” 2) “It is impossible to make all the sick well … but the physician can secure respite from pain, intervals in disease, and can render disease latent.”