Those, however, who have carefully studied the affections in question give some such account as follows:-by a compression and closing of the pores, which naturally takes place over the whole body in a condition of grief, everything that meets a hindrance in its passage is driven to the cavities in the interior of the body, and hence also (as the respiratory organs too are pressed by what surrounds them), the drawing of breath often becomes more violent under the influence of nature endeavouring to widen what has been contracted, so as to open out the compressed passages; and such breathing we consider a symptom of grief and call it a groan or a shriek. That, moreover, which appears to oppress the region of the heart is a painful affection, not of the heart, but of the entrance of the stomach, and occurs from the same cause (I mean, that of the compression of the pores), as the vessel that contains the bile, contracting, pours that bitter and pungent juice upon the entrance of the stomach; and a proof of this is that the complexion of those in grief becomes sallow and jaundiced, as the bile pours its own juice into the veins by reason of excessive pressure.

Τοιοῦτον δέ τί φασιν οἱ ἐπεσκεμμένοι δι' ἀκριβείας τὰ πάθη͵ ὅτι συμπτώσεως τῶν πόρων καὶ μύσεως ἐν ταῖς λυπηραῖς διαθέσεσι φυσικῶς περὶ ἅπαν γινομένης [160] τὸ σῶμα͵ πρὸς τὰς ἐν τῷ βάθει κοιλότητας συνωθεῖται πᾶν τὸ πρὸς τὴν διαπνοὴν κωλυόμενον· ὅθεν καὶ τῶν ἀναπνευστικῶν σπλάγχνων στενοχωρουμένων τῷ περιέχοντι͵ βιαιοτέρα πολλάκις ἡ ὁλκὴ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως γίνεται͵ πρὸς τὴν τῶν συμπεπτωκότων διαστολὴν τὸ στενωθὲν εὐρυνούσης. Τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτον ἆσθμα σύμπτωμα λύπης ποιούμεθα͵ στεναγμὸν αὐτὸ καὶ ἀναποτνιασμὸν ὀνομάζοντες. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν ὑποθλίβειν τὸ περικάρδιον μέρος͵ οὐ τῆς καρδίας͵ ἀλλὰ τοῦ στόματός ἐστι τῆς γαστρὸς ἀηδία͵ διὰ τῆς αὐτῆς αἰτίας͵ λέγω δὴ τῆς κατὰ τὴν σύμπτωσιν τῶν πόρων͵ τοῦ χοληδόχου ἀγγείου τὸν δριμὺν ἐκεῖνον καὶ δακνώδη χυμὸν ὑπὸ στενοχωρίας ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα τῆς γαστρὸς παρεγχέοντος. Ἀπόδειξις δὲ τούτου τὸ ὕπωχρον γίνεσθαι καὶ ἰκτερώδη τοῖς λυπουμένοις τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν͵ ἀπὸ τῆς ἄγαν συνοχῆς ἐπὶ τὰς φλέβας τὸν ἴδιον χυμὸν τῆς χολῆς ἐπισπειρούσης.