BEŞİNCİ BÂB · ÜÇÜNCÜ FASIL · İkinci Madde
**Article Two**
Concerning the natural dispositions and habits that are foundational to maintaining health in the human body.
O esteemed one! Know that medical experts have said: The science of medicine is the science of the body, its theory and practice being distinct branches of knowledge. Its first part is the preservation of health, and its second is the treatment of illnesses.
However, preserving health is a great blessing. It is the unending capital of both the religious and worldly person. Maintaining and safeguarding the health of the body is a profound good fortune. Knowing its worth and value and living according to its rules and conditions is a delightful blessing. For the intelligent person who protects the health of their body finds well-being, avoids illness, does not require treatment or medication, and experiences ease. They attain the knowledge of the Divine with a tranquil heart. Therefore, in this *Marifetnâme* [Book of Gnosis], it is necessary to write and explain the conditions and foundations for preserving health, so that you may know its worth and value and protect it while the opportunity exists. May you remain healthy and free from affliction throughout your life’s duration, and may you be occupied with the knowledge and love of the Divine with a joyful heart. Although one who knows the conditions and principles of maintaining health attains the well-being of their body with the help of God, even the most knowledgeable physician cannot always retain his youthfulness and strength. He cannot reach the age of one hundred and twenty years, which is considered the longest lifespan.
Furthermore, when the time arrives for the inevitable death that is decreed, no one can postpone it. For the body’s existence and continuation of existence depend upon a moistness such that it digests food and eliminates its excesses and unusable elements with a heat akin to fire. As this natural warmth diminishes by reducing that substance which is that natural moisture, digestion weakens, the qualities sustaining the body diminish, and the body gradually deteriorates until the natural moisture is exhausted. This is how the natural warmth fades. The duration of life and the appointed time of death for each person, according to their individual temperament and strength, are thus determined.
The highest degree of preserving health, which lies within a person's control, is first to know one’s temperaments and then to change the necessary causes so as to protect the body’s natural moisture from inflammation. It should prevent the parts of the body from excessively separating (dissolving). If no external harm occurs until the end of life, each stage of human life—from its four phases—should be protected according to its own requirements, so that one may complete their life in health and well-being with a tranquil heart.
The temperaments of the body are known through ten signs. [52] There are six necessary conditions:
The first temperament is the sense of touch (lems). In a person with a balanced temperament, the sense of touch is balanced in terms of warmth and coldness. The sensation of one whose temperament is disordered is also felt in the direction of their disorder.
Second is muscle mass, the body’s fatness, and its internal fats. Their abundance indicates the body's moisture, while their scarcity indicates dryness. However, an excess of muscle indicates a moist and warm constitution. An abundance of fat and internal fats indicates a moist and cold constitution.
Third is hair (sha‘r). Its abundance, curliness, thickness, and blackness are signs of a hot and dry body. Sparseness, straightness, fineness, and whiteness indicate a cold and moist body.
Fourth is the color of the body. Whiteness indicates coolness and an excess of phlegm; redness indicates warmth and an excess of blood; a mixture of both indicates moderation. A wheat-colored complexion indicates heat; yellowness indicates heat and an excess of bile; blackness indicates coldness and an excess of melancholy.
Fifth is the appearance of the organs, such as the breadth of the chest, the strong pulse, the visibility and wide nature of the blood vessels, and the size of the hands, feet, and bones—these indicate a hot and fiery body. Their opposites indicate a cold body.
Sixth is the organ’s capacity for reception, which indicates in what direction the body is most readily affected; for example, being quickly affected by coldness indicates that the body is cold.
Seventh are the natural functions, whereby a temperament that is normal and healthy in its function indicates its own balance; an abnormal or disordered temperament indicates coldness; irregular and mixed temperaments indicate heat; a quick temperament indicates heat; slowness indicates coldness.
Eighth is sleep and wakefulness, where abundant sleep indicates a cold and moist body; abundant wakefulness indicates the abundance of heat and dryness; and their balance indicates a balanced body.
Ninth is the condition of the bowel movement, whose sharp odor and firm color indicate heat, and its opposite indicates coldness.
Tenth are the psychological activities (nefsî intikaller), where their strength, speed, and abundance indicate a hot body; heaviness and sluggishness indicate a cold body; persistence and permanence indicate dryness; quickness indicates moisture. Anger, desire, boldness, and rage indicate a hot body; much seriousness (vakar) and shame (hayâ) indicate coldness; weakness of the heart indicates moisture; cowardice and timidity indicate dryness.
In addition to these ten signs explained here, there are many signs of the increase of each of the four humors (ahlât-i erba’a) in the human body, among which are: The signs of an excess of blood are…
The signs of an excess of phlegm are pallor, bodily laxity, cold and moist skin, excessive saliva, diminished thirst, weak digestion, acid refluxes, belching, natural dizziness (belâdet), much sleep, seeing water and snow in dreams, and a salty taste in the mouth when awake.
The signs of an excess of bile are yellowness of the face and eyes, dryness of the mouth and nostrils, intense thirst, loss of appetite, frequent vomiting (gusbân), dryness of the tongue, seeing fire and sparks in dreams, and a bitter taste in the mouth when awake.
The signs of an excess of black bile (sevdâ) are dryness of the body (yübûset), bad skin, blackness of the blood, anxiety, heartburn, poor appetite, thick, dark, and turbid urine and feces, seeing smoke (edhine) and gardens (mehârif) in dreams, and a sour taste in the mouth when awake.
These are what medical experts know through observation and experience (tecrübe). God knows best.