SUGGESTIONS. FOR FIELD RECORDING. OF INFORAILTION ON THE HIPPOCRATIC CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASES AND. REMEDIES George M. Foster and John H. Rowe Ethnolgists have found in many parts of Latin America that Important ideas concerning health and sickness are based on the Graeco-Roman con- cept of "hot" and "cold" qualities innate in nature; for example, certain illneases. are believed to be inherently "hot," and are treated with 'tcold" remedies,'while other illnesses are "oold" and are treated with "hot" remedies. Food also is often so classified, and the maintenance of health requires care to avoid the mixing of incompatible dishes. The qualities of "hot" and "cold"' in this system have nothing to do with physical tem- perature and nothing necessarily to do with physiological effect; from a soentific viewpoint, the attributioni of a substance to one or the other of these categories may be purely arbitrary* Honey, for example, is almost always "hot," while pork is by nature "cold." In El Salvador red and black beans are "hot," while white varieties are "cold." The historical origin of these concepts in the New t'orld is not generally known to ethnographers, nor have the theoretical implications of the numerous American variants, of the system been adequately recog- nized. Anthropologists appear to have come upon aspects of these beliefs quite by chance and have recorded them as incidental information in an infcomplete and fragmentary form; no field worker has yet explored all the ramifications of the system in a single community. Consequently, the nvailable data are not yet % dequate for any systemptic comparative analy- sis. The following observations will suggest the .type of information which is needed for comparison: 1. In the form in which the Hippocratic classification ("humoral pethology") was brought to the New World, the substances involved were classified as either `hot" (caliente) or "cold" (frio) and either "wet" (h4medo) or "dry"t (seco), and each attribute was graded in intensity on a- TmT from 1 to 4"7or example', watermelon (sandia) wns `cold" in the second degree and "wet"t in the third degree (fro en euo grado! htmedo an tercer rado; abbreviated F2 h3). This system has been simpli- fied inimost parts of Latin America; the `wet-dry" concept and the scale of degrees are not reported from any modern area. Terminology also has become more flexiblea The word "irritante" appears in parts of Mexico for "calUiente," and "fresco" is widelyused instead of "lrio." The word. tyfreeco," however, may occur with "frfo," indicating a lesser degree of "%;T1"than the latter. In some areas an intermediate condition is rec- ognized and labelled "templado." This indicates that the substance is neither markedly tthotl" nor 'cold." Other variant terms doubtless exist as well. 2. The aspect of the problem most neglected by field workers has 1 be*n the application of' the *,brt-cold" pninpleeto diseases. The qual- ities of "hot" and "cold" classify a partioular illness but do not us- ually explain its etiology. In any givexi community there may or may not be a correlation between classification and etiology; the ethnographer should investigate these two aspeots of disease together so that any ex- isting correlation wlill become apparent. Classification of a given dis- ease as "hot" or "cold" is usually a necessary oreliminary to treatment, for it sets limits to the diet and medicines that may be prescribed. In prescription the princciple of opposites; is often still followed& a "cold" illness is treated with "hot" medicines and foods and vice versa. Some inconsistenoies may be found in the use of the system; for example, a !"hot' remedy believed to have particularly strong curative properties may be prescribed for a "hot` illness in addition to the usual "cold"1 reme- dies. 3. Herbs are frequently the basis of prescription, end wherever the "hot" and "cold" system is in use, the classifica;tion of lerge num- bers of' common plonts may be general knowledge. The. few published lists of herbs ate far too short for: comprrative purposes and rarely indicate the diseases for which the plents are prescribed. Spenish names of the more common herbs are included in the appendix to serve as a guide to field workers. It would, of course, be desirable to get botanical identificetions for each herb, but, as the "hot" and "-cold" classification is essentially arbit'rary, it is just as likely that the Spanish name of the plant is classified as that the `hot" or "cold"' determination is made by species, so herb lists giving only the Spanish names are still- o some interest. Different parts of the same plant may be classified in different categories, so the ethnographer should ask specifioally about the root, leaves, flowers, seeds and any other parts that my be used. The clas- sification may also vary according to the preparation used, a dry com- press may be classified differently from an infusion, for example. 4. The number of other edible substances classed as "hot" or "cold" may also be considerable, and some substances not usunelly eaten by well people (dung, cotton, tobacco, hair, lime,_ etc.) may have a olassitfication because they enter into common prescriptions for the sick. As in the case of herbs, the classitication may be highly specific, different oolors, seexes or parts of animals, for example, belonging to different categories. The. yolk and white. of eggs cre frequently clas- sified differently, and the meat, internal organs, feathers and blood of chickens may get separate trertment. Male and female fowl are some- times distinguished, and in at least one case black chickens belong in the opposite cetegory from white ones. 5. The qualities of "hot" and "cold" were originally attributes of the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) of rncient science. 2 Hence, not merely medicines and foods but all substances were classified with relation to them. Reflections of this usage may still be found; metals, for example, mey be elassified as ".hots' or. . ooldo' Any such ex- tensions of the `hot-cold` principle outside of the realm of curing should, of course, be treced. The authors would be happy to correspond wi.th ethnographe.rs work.-- ing in Latin Americn, or indeed any other erea, who find the "thot" and "coold" classification in use in their communities .,nd wish to discuss any of the problems it raises. They may be addressed as followes George M. Foster Institute of Social Anthropology Smithsonian Institution WVashington 25, D. C. John He Rowe Department of Anthropology University of California Berkeley 4, Californin "aod"alssfiatonir ue n her omuntis ndwih o isu3 Vegetables and Ve etable Foods# -ca?elgas, ajo, alcachofa, alegrfa, altremuz, apio, arroz, avena, batata, berenjenas, bledo (amaranth), oelabaa, ceamote, cebada, ce- bolla, ohsyote, chclharros (guisantes), chilacoyote, chile (all types), col, coliflor, culantro (or cilantro), ejotes, elote (or choclos), en- dibia, epasote (or paico), esparragos, espinacas, fideo, frijoles (blancos, lima, negros, rojos)8, g&-rbanrome, habas8, jcama, lechuga, lentejas, mafz (millo, seoo, verde), man{ (peanut; cwahuate in Mexico), nabo, pan, papa, pepino, perejil, quelite, rAbano, ruibarbo, tomate, tortillas, trigo, verdolaga, yuca, zanahoria. Fruit t aguacate (palta), albaricoque, snona, breva, oapulfn, cerezaa, ciruela, citron, cherimoya, durazno, granada, guanabana, guayaba, guinda, guineo, higo, jocote, lima, limon, mamey, mango, manzana, me- ion, mambrillo, mora, ncaranja, n!spero (Mexican chicozapote), papaya, pera, pila, pitahaya, platano, sandia, tojooote, toronja, tuna (nopal cactus fruit), uva, vainilla, zapote, zapote blanco, zapote mamey, za- pote negro, zarzamoras Nutsa almendra, avellana, bellota, brazil nut, coconut, nuez (walnut), piione s. Anima l Product s ardilla, buey, cabre, carnero, conejo, ohicharron, gallina, gal- lino, huevos, jaball, leQhe (cabra, humana, vaca). manteca, mantequilla, paloms, pato, pavo (turkey), pescado, puerco, queso (fresco, seco), res, temnero, venado. Herbs: acedera, achiote, ajenjo, ajonjoli, elbaShca, alcanfor, alcaparra, altamisa, alhucema, ati1*s, azafran, berro, borraja, canels, cana fIstu- la, celidonia, cenizo, clavellina, clavo, eneldo, eucaliptus, gu6oimo, higuerilla, hinojo, jengibre , laurel, lengua de vaoa, llanteon, malva, mana, manzanilla, mastranto, mastuerzo, mostaza, mejorana, mirto, po- leo, or gsno. ortiga, romaza, r=mero, ruda, sabila, salvia, sasafr s, sauco, tomillo, toronjil, verbena, yerbabuena, yerba mora, zartapar- illa. 4 Miscellaneous: agua (caliente, frfa), a;uardiente, alcohol, algodon, anil, atole, azucar, bebidas alcoholicas, cacao bean, ceUe, cal, cafnl, cerveza, cho- colate, coca, estieroQl (osballo, cabra, humana. ), hielo, Itna, lino, miel, panela, pulque, sal, tabaco, vinagre, vino. 5.