History of the Peloponnesian War

The evidence for this is that birds of this kind became noticeably scarce, and they were no longer to be seen either about the bodies or anywhere else; while the dogs gave a still better opportunity to observe what happened, because they live with man.

Such, then, was the general nature of the disease; for I pass over many of the unusual symptoms, since it chanced to affect one man differently as compared with another. And while the plague lasted there were none of the usual complaints, though if any did occur it ended in this. Sometimes death was due to neglect, but sometimes it occurred in spite of careful nursing.

And no one remedy was found, I may say, which was sure to bring relief to those applying it—for what helped one man hurt another—

and no constitution, as it proved, was of itself sufficient against it, whether as regards physical strength or weakness,[*](i.e. no constitution was of itself strong enough to resist or weak enough to escape the attacks (Jowett).) but it carried off all without distinction, even those tended with all medical care.

And the most dreadful thing about the whole malady was not only the despondency of the victims, when they once became aware that they were sick, for their minds straightway yielded to despair and they gave themselves up for lost instead of resisting, but also the fact that they became infected by nursing one another and died like sheep. And this caused the heaviest mortality; for if, on the one hand, they were restrained by fear from visiting one another, the sick perished uncared for, so that many houses were left empty through lack of anyone to do the nursing;