PASSAGE: Among the misfortunes that trouble human beings, the loss of health is the most troublesome. A man does not appreciate his joy, his happiness or even his property when he is sick. If you give a sick man everything but leave him to his sufferings, he will feel that the world is lost to him. Even when he is laid in a feather-like bed, he groans in physical agony, and remains sleepless. On the contrary, a pauper or a beggar, who is healthy can enjoy a sound sleep even lying on bare ground.
A man with good health can enjoy his food and choose his drink but a sick man cannot take a morsel of food out of fear that his health may deteriorate. In fact, a healthy man is always envied by a rich man with poor health. If a sick man is surrounded with the pomp of a king, if his chair be made his throne, if his crutch be his sceptre, even then he will envy the good health of his meanest servant. His great palace would not be able to provide him the comfort that a man with sound health gets even living under a thatched hut. [199 words approx]
PRÉCIS Title: Health is wealth
A man with poor health is an unfortunate creature. A sick man suffers not only from physical but also from mental agony while a healthy man is happier even though he may be poor. A sick man cannot even enjoy his food. Even if he is provided with all the comforts and luxuries of life, he will remain unhappier than a healthy man in the poorest of conditions. [65 words approx]