From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordA medical rule treated as an accepted starting point.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333.
Historical definition
Aphorismus is a general rule in medicine, taken for granted.
Meaning
This entry classifies a kind of statement rather than a substance. “General” gives the rule a wider application, while “taken for granted” describes its assumed status within an argument. A historical writer may therefore use an aphorism as something from which to reason rather than something newly demonstrated in the passage.
Recognizing that role can clarify the structure of a difficult text: distinguish the stated rule from the particular case offered beneath it. The dictionary does not identify every such accepted rule as correct; it explains how the term functions in medical discourse.
Places to read
- AphorismusRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 5; facsimile PDF page 333 — Facsimile