§5#1Ὅπως οὖν ἀκριβεστέρα γένοιτο παντὸς τοῦ δόγματος ἡ βάσανος, ἀρξώμεθα τῶν προειρημένων κεφαλαίων ἀπὸ τοῦ τελευταίου.
Therefore, so that the examination of the whole doctrine may become more accurate, let us begin from the last of the aforementioned points.
τί δή ποτε γὰρ εἰσπνεόντων ἡ τῶν ὀσμῶν αἴσθησις γίγνεται, κατ’ ἄλλον δὲ οὐδένα χρόνον, εἴπερ ἐν τοῖς τῆς ῥινὸς πόροις ἡ γένεσις αὐτῆς ἐστιν, ἐπισκεπτομένοις ἡμῖν ἓν τοῦτο μόνον ηὑρίσκετο πιθανὸν, ὡς μὴ κατὰ τὴν ἐκτὸς ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ τῆς ῥινὸς χιτῶνος, ἀλλὰ διὰ βάθους συχνοῦ τὸ τῆς ὀσφρήσεως ὄργανον τετάχθαι, πόρων μέν τινων ἐπ’ αὐτὸ τεινόντων, οὐ μὴν ἀνεῳγμένων γε διὰ παντὸς, ἀλλ’ οἷον ἐπιθήματά τινα ἐχόντων ὑμενώδη λεπτά· τούτων δ’ ἐν ταῖς εἰσπνοαῖς ὑπὸ τῆς ῥύμης τοῦ πνεύματος ἀνοιγομένων, οὕτως ἀφικνεῖσθαι τὸ αἰσθητὸν ἐπὶ τὸ διαγνωστικὸν αὐτοῦ μόριον.
For to us examining why on earth the perception of smells occurs when people inhale, and at no other time, if indeed its origin is in the passages of the nose, this one thing alone was found plausible: namely, that the organ of smell is arranged not along the outer surface of the coat of the nose, but through a considerable depth, with certain passages extending to it, not indeed being open always, but having as it were certain thin membranous lids; and when these are opened during inhalations by the rush of the breath, in this way the sensible object arrives at its discerning part.
ἔοικε δέ τι τοιοῦτον καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης ἔν τε τῷ δευτέρῳ περὶ ψυχῆς κᾀν τῷ περὶ αἰσθήσεως καὶ αἰσθητῶν· ἐπιγράφεται δὲ τοῦτο καὶ δι’ ἕτερον τρόπον ᾧδε, περὶ αἰσθήσεως καὶ αἰσθητηρίων, ἐπειδὴ τὰ τῶν αἰσθήσεων ὄργανα καλεῖν οὕτως ἔθος ἐστὶν καὶ Ἀριστοτέλει.
Aristotle too seems to say something of this sort both in the second book of "On the Soul" and in "On Sensation and Sensible Objects"—which is also inscribed in another way as "On Sensation and Sensory Organs", since it is also Aristotle's custom to call the organs of the senses in this way.
κατὰ μὲν οὖν τὸ δεύτερον περὶ ψυχῆς ταυτὶ γέγραπται· Οὕτως μὲν οὖν καὶ τὸ ὀσφραντικὸν ὄργανον τοῖς μὲν ἀκαλυφὲς, ὥσπερ τὸ ὄμμα· τοῖς δὲ τὸν ἀέρα δεχομένοις ἔχει ἐπικάλυμμα, ὃ ἀναπνεόντων ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι, διευρυνομένων τῶν φλεβῶν καὶ τῶν πόρων. ἐν δὲ τῷ περὶ αἰσθήσεως καὶ αἰσθητηρίων τάδε φησί· Ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ἀναπνέουσι τὸ πνεῦμα ἀφαιρεῖ τὸ ἐπικείμενον, ὥσπερ πῶμά τι, διὸ οὐκ αἰσθάνεται μὴ ἀναπνέοντα· τοῖς δ’ οὐκ ἀναπνέουσιν ἀφῄρηται τοῦτο· καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὰ μὲν ἔχει βλέφαρα τῶν ζώων, ὧν μὴ ἀνακαλυφθέντων οὐ δύναται ὁρᾷν, τὰ δὲ σκληρόφθαλμα οὐκ ἔχει, διόπερ οὐ προσδεῖται οὐδενὸς τοῦ ἀνακαλύψοντος, ἀλλ’ ὁρᾷ ἐκ τοῦ δυνατοῦ ὁρᾷν αὐτῷ εὐθύς. αὗται μὲν αἱ τοῦ Ἀριστοτέλους ῥήσεις, οὐδ’ ὅλως ἐπιχειρήσαντος ζητῆσαι μόριον, ἐν ᾧ πρώτως τὴν τῶν ὀσμῶν αἴσθησιν ἔχομεν.
In the second book of "On the Soul", then, these things have been written: "Thus, therefore, the organ of smell is also uncovered for some, just like the eye; but for those that receive air it has a covering, which is uncovered when they breathe, as the vessels and passages are widened." And in "On Sensation and Sensory Organs" he says the following: "But for those that breathe, the breath removes what is lying upon it, like a kind of lid, wherefore they do not perceive when not breathing; while for those that do not breathe, this has been removed; just as in the case of eyes, some animals have eyelids, which when not uncovered they cannot see, but the hard-eyed ones do not have them, wherefore they do not need anything to uncover them, but see immediately from their capacity to see." These are the statements of Aristotle, who did not at all attempt to seek the part in which we primarily have the perception of smells.
ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ περὶ τῶν ἀνακαλυπτομένων πόρων ἀδύνατον μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν, ὥσπερ ἔνια τῶν λεγομένων ὑπό τινων, οὐ μὴν δυνατόν γε συστῆναι κατὰ τοὺς πόρους τῆς ῥινός.
But even what is said by him concerning the passages being uncovered is not indeed impossible, like some of the things said by certain people, yet it is certainly impossible to stand in the case of the passages of the nose.
ἐπὶ μέν γε τῶν βλεφάρων ἡ κίνησις κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐπιτελεῖται προαίρεσιν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔξεστιν ἡμῖν, ὁπότε βουλόμεθα, καὶ κλείειν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀνοίγειν· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς τῶν ὀσμῶν αἰσθήσεως οὐχ ᾧδ’ ἔχει.
For in the case of the eyelids, the movement is performed according to our choice, and for this reason it is possible for us, whenever we wish, both to close them and to open them; but in the case of the perception of smells, it is not so.
συμβεβηκὸς γάρ ἐστι ταῖς εἰσπνοαῖς τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἄνοιξιν τῶν πόρων, οὐχ ἡμέτερον ἔργον.
For the opening of the passages is an accident to the inhalations, not our own work.
πῶς οὖν συμβήσεται, σκεπτέον ἐφεξῆς.
How therefore it will happen must be examined next.
καίτοι γε δίκαιος ἦν ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης, ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ λόγου, κατεσκευακέναι μὲν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δόξαν, οὐκ ἀποφῃνάμενος ἁπλῶς, ἡμῖν ἐπιτρέψας περὶ τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης ἀπομαντεύσασθαι, μηδὲν εἰπόντος σαφὲς, ὥστε οὐδὲ κατασκευὴν ἣν λέγει τῶν πόρων ἐδήλωσεν, εἴτ’ ἐν τῷ χιτῶνι τῶν μυκτήρων, εἴτ’ ἐν ἄλλῳ τινὶ μέρει βούλεται τούτους δὴ τοὺς ὀσφρητικοὺς πόρους ὑπάρχειν.
And yet Aristotle, the father of the doctrine, ought to have established his own opinion, instead of merely declaring it and leaving it to us to divine concerning his view, since he said nothing clear, so that he did not even make clear the structure of the passages of which he speaks, whether he wishes these olfactory passages to exist in the coat of the nostrils or in some other part.
ἀλλ’ ὅτι γε μὴ κατὰ τοὺς μυκτῆρας, ἐνθένδε δῆλον.
But that it is not in the nostrils is clear from this.
εἰ γὰρ οὕτως ἔχοιεν, ἡ φορὰ τοῦ προσπίπτοντος ἔξωθεν ἀέρος ἀνοίγνυσιν αὐτοὺς, ἐὰν καὶ χωρὶς τῆς εἰσπνοῆς ἐμπίπτῃ τὸ πνεῦμα.
For if they were so, the flow of the air falling upon them from outside would open them, even if the breath fell upon them without inhalation.
ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἐργάζεται, σαφῶς ἔνεστι θεάσασθαι, πρῶτον μὲν αὑτῷ τεχνησάμενον κίνησιν ἀέρος ἐν οἴκῳ σμικρῷ μεστῷ σφοδροτάτης ὀσμῆς, δεύτερον δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἄνεμον τρέψαντα τοὺς μυκτῆρας ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χωρίῳ, καὶ τρίτον ἐπιθέντα κατὰ τῶν μυκτήρων ἕν τι τῶν ὀργάνων τῶν δυναμένων ὠθεῖν ἀέρα.
But that it does not work can be clearly seen, first by creating for oneself a movement of air in a small room full of a very strong smell, second by turning the nostrils towards the wind in this place, and third by placing over the nostrils one of the instruments capable of pushing air.
καλαμίσκοι δ’ εἰσὶ τοιοῦτοι, καὶ κύστεις εὐθύτρητοι, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτῶν ἔχουσαι κέρατα.
There are such small tubes, and straight-bored bladders, having horns attached to themselves.
ἀλλά τοι, τούτων πάντων κινούντων ἀέρα, διάγνωσις οὐδεμία γίγνεται τῆς ὀσμῆς.
But indeed, though all these move the air, no discernment of the smell occurs.
οὐ μὴν τοῦτ’ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὡς τοιαύτη κίνησίς ἐστι τῶν κατὰ τὸν χιτῶνα πόρων, οἵα τῶν τῆς καρδίας κοιλιῶν, ὧν διαστελλομένων, ἀνοίγνυσθαι συμβαίνει τὰ στόματα τῶν εἰσαγόντων τὰς ὕλας ἀγγείων.
Nor indeed is it possible to say this, that the movement of the passages along the coat is such as that of the ventricles of the heart, which when dilating, it happens that the mouths of the vessels bringing in the materials are opened.
ἤτοι γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν προαίρεσιν ἔνεστιν ὑποθέσθαι τὴν κίνησιν γίνεσθαι τῶν πόρων, ἢ χωρὶς προαιρέσεως, οἵα καὶ τῆς καρδίας ἐστί.
For we can assume either that the movement of the passages occurs according to our choice, or without choice, as is also that of the heart.
εἰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν προαίρεσιν, δεήσει καὶ χωρὶς τῆς εἰσπνοῆς διασταλεῖσιν αὐτοῖς αἰσθέσθαι τῆς ὀσμῆς· εἰ δὲ φυσικῶς ᾖ, εὔδηλον, ὅτι καὶ οὕτως ἄνευ τῆς εἰσπνοῆς.
If indeed according to our choice, it will be necessary for them, having dilated even without inhalation, to perceive the smell; but if it is natural, it is obvious that even so it would be perceived without inhalation.
ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδέποτε χωρὶς τῆς εἰσπνοῆς αἰσθανόμεθα.
But indeed, we never perceive without inhalation.