§3Ζητήσωμεν οὖν ἤδη τὸ τῆς ὀσφρήσεως ὄργανον, ἀρξάμενοι μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν συνεχῶν κατασκευῆς τοῖς μυκτῆρσι μορίων, ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις ἐπισκεψάμενοι τὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας ἴδια συμβεβηκότα.
Let us then now seek the organ of smell, beginning indeed from the structure of the parts continuous with the nostrils, and next examining after these the proper accidents of its activity.
ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ῥῖνα πόροις ὑποτέταται τοῖς ὀστοῖς ὁ χιτὼν ἐκεῖνος, ὃν καὶ τῇ φύσει καὶ τῇ συνεχείᾳ τὸν αὐτὸν ἔφην εἶναι τῷ κατά τε τὸ στόμα καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν καὶ τὴν φάρυγγα, πλήν γε ὅτι λεπτομερής ἐστιν, ἢ τοῦτο αἰσθητήριον εἶναι χρὴ νομίζειν ὀσμῶν, ἢ τὸ τῆς ῥινὸς ὀστοῦν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο τρίτον ἐνταῦθα μόριόν ἐστιν.
Since then, in the passages along the nose, that coat is stretched under the bones—which I said is the same, both in nature and continuity, as the one along the mouth and the tongue and the pharynx, except that it is fine-particled—we must think either that this is the sensory organ of smells, or the bone of the nose; for there is no other third part here.
ἀλλὰ τῷ μὲν τῆς ῥινὸς ὀστῷ μὴ ὅτι τῆς ὀσφρητικῆς, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τῆς ἁπτικῆς αἰσθήσεως μέτεστιν.
But as for the bone of the nose, let alone of the sense of smell, it does not even share in the sense of touch.
ὁ δ’ ὑποτεταμένος ἔνδον χιτὼν ὁμοιότατος μὲν ὑπάρχει τῷ κατὰ τὸν οὐρανίσκον τε καὶ τὴν ὑπερῴαν, καὶ ταύτῃ γε ἀδύνατον αὐτῷ πλεονεκτεῖν ἐκείνων εἰς ἀκρίβειαν αἰσθήσεως, ἠδύνατο μέντοι μεγέθει μόνῳ νεύρων πλεονεκτῆσαι, καθάπερ ἡ γλῶττα.
And the coat stretched under within is most similar to the one along the palate and the roof of the mouth, and in this respect indeed it is impossible for it to surpass them in the accuracy of perception; however, it could surpass them in the size of its nerves alone, just as the tongue does.
φαίνεταί γε μὴν οὐδὲ ταῦτα, οὐ τὸ πλέον ἔχων, ἀλλ’ ὅσον ἀναγκαῖον εἰς αἴσθησιν ἁπτικὴν, τοσοῦτον νεύρων μετειληφώς.
Yet it appears not even to have this, not having more nerves, but having received only as much of nerves as is necessary for tactile perception.
καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ χιτῶνος ἡ φύοις οὐ κατὰ τὴν τῶν αἰσθητηρίων οὐσίαν ἐστὶν, ὥσπερ αἱ λοιπαί.
And indeed, the nature of this coat itself is not according to the substance of the sensory organs, as the others are.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ὄψεως ὄργανον φωτοειδές· τὸ δὲ τῆς ἀκοῆς ἀερῶδες· ὥσπερ τὸ τῆς γεύσεως ὑγρὸν καὶ σπογγοειδές· τὸ δὲ τῆς ἁφῆς σκληρὸν καὶ γεῶδες· προπαρασκευασθέντος ἑκάστου τῶν ὀργάνων ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως εἰς ὁμοιότητα τῶν αἰσθητῶν.
For the organ of sight is light-like; and that of hearing is air-like; just as that of taste is moist and sponge-like; and that of touch is hard and earth-like; each of the organs having been prepared beforehand by nature to resemble its objects of perception.
ἐχρῆν οὖν καὶ τὸ τῶν ὀσμῶν αἰσθητήριον ἀτμοειδὲς ὑπάρχειν, οὐ σκληρὸν καὶ γεῶδες, ὁποῖόν ἐστιν ὁ κατὰ τοὺς μυκτῆρας χιτὼν, πρὸς τῷ τοιοῦτος εἶναι μηδὲ νεύρων ἀξιολόγων τυχὼν, ἃ πάντα ἂν ἔτυχε καὶ πρὸ τῆς γλώττης, ὡς ἂν καὶ τρίτην ἔχων τάξιν ἐν τοῖς αἰσθητικοῖς ὀργάνοις εἰς διάγνωσιν οὐσίας λεπτομεροῦς.
It was necessary, therefore, that the sensory organ of smells also be vapor-like, not hard and earth-like, such as is the coat along the nostrils—which, besides being such, has not even received any notable nerves, all of which it would have received even before the tongue, as having the third rank among the sensory organs for the discernment of a fine-particled substance.
τὸ μέν γε τῆς ὄψεως νεῦρον εἰς τοσοῦτον ἥκει μεγέθους, ὥστε τοῦ κατιόντος εἰς τὸ στόμα τῆς γαστρὸς μεῖζον εἶναι πολὺ, καίτοι οὐκ εἰς ὅλον διανεμόμενον τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ μόνον ἧκον τὸ κρυσταλλοειδὲς σῶμα· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδείχθη τὸ κυριώτατον ὄργανον τῆς ὄψεως.
For the nerve of sight indeed has reached such a size as to be much larger than the one descending to the mouth of the stomach, although it is not distributed to the whole eye, but comes only to the crystalline body; for this was shown to be the most sovereign organ of sight.
ὅ γε μὴν ἀκουστικὸς πόρος, βραχύτατον ἔχων τὸ ἔνδον πέρας, ὃ τοῦ νεύρου ψαύει, παχὺ καὶ οὗτος κατὰ τὴν τοῦ μεγέθους ἀναλογίαν εἴληφε νεῦρον.
Yet the auditory passage too, having its innermost limit, which touches the nerve, very short, has also received a thick nerve in proportion to its size.
οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἡ γλῶττα μικρῶν μετέσχεν τῶν ἐξ ἐγκεφάλου νεύρων.
Nor indeed did the tongue share in small nerves from the brain.
οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ τὸ τῶν ὀσμῶν αἰσθητήριον ἔσχεν ἄν ποτε ἰσχνὸν, ὁποῖόν ἐστι τὸ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ῥινὸς χιτῶνα.
Therefore, the sensory organ of smells would never have had a thin nerve, such as is the one along the coat of the nose.
καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ ἀτμοειδὲς ἀναγκαῖον ὑπάρχειν αὐτό· τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τῶν ὀσμῶν οὐσία.
And indeed, it is necessary that it be vapor-like; for such is the substance of smells.
ταύτῃ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀπάγει τῶν κατὰ τοὺς μυκτῆρας χωρίων, ἀπὸ τῆς κατασκευῆς τὴν ἔνδειξιν τοῦ ζητουμένου λαμβάνοντας.
In this way indeed, this reasoning leads us away from the regions along the nostrils, as we receive the indication of the object of our search from the structure.
ἐφεξῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων τῆς ἐνεργείας ἐπισκεπτομένοις φαίνεται οὐδεμία γιγνομένη διάγνωσις ὀσμῶν ἄνευ τῆς εἰσπνοῆς, καίτοι γ’ ἐνίοτε πεπληρωμένων τῶν πόρων τῆς ῥινὸς ἀτμοῦ σφοδροτάτην ἔχοντος δύναμιν.
Next, to those examining from the properties of its activity, it appears that no discernment of smells occurs without inhalation, even though sometimes the passages of the nose are filled with a vapor having the most vehement power.
ἐὰν οὖν τις ἐν οἴκῳ σμικροτάτῳ θυμιάσας ἄσφαλτον, ἢ κασίαν, ἢ σμύρναν, ἢ λιβανωτὸν, ἢ στύρακα, καὶ πληρώσας ὀσμῆς ἰσχυροτάτης αὐτὸν, εἰσελθὼν ἀποπειρῷτο διὰ πολλοῦ χρόνου ποιούμενος τὴν εἰσπνοὴν, εἴσεται τοῦ λεγομένου τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἐν μὲν τῷ τῆς εἰσπνοῆς χρόνῳ μόνῳ τῆς ὀσμῆς αἰσθανόμενος, ἐν δὲ τῷ λοιπῷ παντὶ μηδεμίαν ἔχων αὐτοῦ διάγνωσιν, καίτοι γε πληρωμένων τῶν πόρων τῆς ῥινός.
If, then, someone, having burned asphalt, or cassia, or myrrh, or frankincense, or storax in a very small room, and having filled it with a most powerful smell, should enter and make trial, making his inhalation after a long interval, he will know the truth of what is said, perceiving the smell only at the time of inhalation, but in all the remaining time having no discernment of it, although the passages of the nose are filled.
οὕτω δὲ, κᾂν ἐνστάξῃς εἰς τοὺς μυκτῆρας ὁτιοῦν ἔχον ἰσχυρὰν ὀδμὴν, ἐν ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ τὴν διάγνωσιν αὐτοῦ λήψῃ, καθ’ ὃν εἰσπνέομεν.
And in this way, even if you drip into the nostrils anything having a strong smell, you will get the discernment of it only at that moment in which we inhale.
ἔοικεν οὖν ἕτερόν τι μόριον εἶναι τὸ τῶν ὀδμῶν διαγνωστικὸν, ἔνδον που τεταγμένον ἐν βαθυτέρῳ τοῦ σώματος, οὐ πρόχειρον οὕτως, οὐδ’ ἐκτὸς, ὡς ὁ κατὰ τὴν ῥῖνα χιτών· ἀλλ’ ὡς ἐν τοῖς περὶ τῆς εἰσπνοῆς λόγοις ἐμάθομεν, ὡς ὁ μὲν θώραξ ὑπό τινων μυῶν διαστέλλοιτο, συνέποιτο δὲ ὁ πνεύμων αὐτῷ, κᾄπειτα ἐξ ἀνάγκης τῷδε κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς ὁ ἔξωθεν ἀὴρ διά τε τῆς τραχείας ἀρτηρίας καὶ τῆς φάρυγγος καὶ τοῦ στόματος καὶ τῆς ῥινός.
It seems, therefore, that the organ capable of discerning smells is some other part, positioned somewhere inside in a deeper part of the body, not so close at hand, nor external, as is the coat along the nose; but just as we learned in the discussions concerning respiration, that the thorax is dilated by certain muscles, and the lung follows it, and then of necessity the outside air follows this continuously through the trachea, the pharynx, the mouth, and the nose.
εἴπερ οὖν ὁ κατὰ τὴν ῥῖνα χιτὼν οὐκ ἔστι τῆς ὀσφρήσεως ὄργανον, ἑξῆς ἐπισκεπτέον ἡμῖν περὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν οὐρανίσκον, εἶθ’ ἑξῆς φάρυγγός τε καὶ τραχείας ἀρτηρίας.
If, then, the coat along the nose is not the organ of smell, we must next examine concerning the one along the palate, and then next, the pharynx and the trachea.
ὁ μὲν δὴ κατὰ τὸν οὐρανίσκον χιτὼν οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὸ τῆς ὀσφρήσεως ὄργανον, εἴ γε τοῖς ἐμφράξασι μὲν τοὺς μυκτῆρας ἢ καὶ σφίγξασι διὰ τῶν δακτύλων τὰ τῆς ῥινὸς πτερύγια καὶ κλείσασιν ἀμφοτέρους τοὺς πόρους, ἀναπνέουσι δὲ ἐν τῷδε διὰ τοι στόματος οὐδεμία τῶν ὀσμῶν αἴσθησις γίνεται.
Indeed, the coat along the palate could not be the organ of smell, since for those who have blocked their nostrils or even squeezed the wings of the nose with their fingers and closed both passages, and in this state breathe through the mouth, no perception of smells occurs.
διὰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ τὴν φάρυγγα καὶ τὴν τραχεῖαν ἀρτηρίαν οὐχ ὑποληπτέον ὑπάρχειν αὐτό.
And for these reasons, neither the pharynx nor the trachea must be supposed to be it.