§2#1Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν εἰσπνεύσαντες μὲν τῆς μὲν οὐσίας εὐποροῦμεν, πνιγόμεθα δὲ οὐδὲν ἧττον, ἢ εἰ μηδόλως εἰσεπνεύσαμεν, ἐμφαίνεσθαι δοκεῖ τὸ μὴ δεῖσθαι τῆς οὐσίας.
Since, therefore, when we have inhaled, we have an abundance of the substance, yet we suffocate no less than if we had not inhaled at all, it seems to be indicated that we do not need the substance.
ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῦθ’ ὁ Ἐρασίστρατός φησιν, ὅτι μηδ’ ἕλκειν δύναται τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πνεύμονος ἀέρα κατὰ τὴν τῆς ἀναπνοῆς ἐπίσχεσιν ἡ καρδία· φυλάττεσθαι γὰρ τῶν ἀναπνευστικῶν ὀργάνων τὸν ἴσον ὄγκον τῆς διαστάσεως ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις καταστάσεσιν.
But against this, Erasistratus says that during the holding of breath the heart cannot even draw the air from the lung; for the equal volume of expansion of the respiratory organs is preserved in such conditions.
εἴπερ οὖν εἵλκυσέ τι μέρος ἀέρος ἡ καρδία, κενὸς ἂν ὁ τοῦ καταληφθέντος ἐγένετο τόπος.
If, therefore, the heart drew any part of the air, the place of that which was taken would become empty.
τοῦτο δὲ ἐγένετο ἀδύνατον.
But this was impossible.
ἵν’ οὖν μὴ γένηται ἀδύνατον, οὐδὲ μεταλήψεσθαί φησι τὴν ἀρχήν.
Therefore, so that the impossible may not occur, he says that it does not even receive it in the first place.
δεῖ γὰρ, ἵνα τι μεταληφθῇ, μὴ μόνον εἶναι τὸ ἕλξον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μεταδιδοῦν· οὐ μεταδίδωσιν δὲ ὁ θώραξ, τὸν ἴσον ὄγκον τῆς διαστάσεως φυλάττων, οὐδ’ οὖν οὐδ’ ἡ καρδία δύναται μεταλαμβάνειν, ἀλλ’ ἐπιχειρεῖ μὲν, ὡς ἔμπροσθεν, ἀνύει δ’ οὐδὲν, κᾀντεῦθεν τὸ πνίγεσθαι.
For there must be, in order for something to be received, not only that which draws, but also that which transmits; but the thorax does not transmit, preserving the equal volume of expansion, and therefore neither can the heart receive, but it indeed attempts, as before, but accomplishes nothing, and from this comes the suffocation.
ἐπεὶ τοίνυν, ἵν’ ἑλκύσῃ τι τοῦ ἀέρος ἡ καρδία, συγχωρεῖν χρὴ τὸν θώρακα, συγχωρεῖ δ’, ἡνίκα μεταβάλλῃ τὴν διάστασιν, μεταβάλλει δ’ εἰσπνεόντων ἢ ἐκπνεόντων, τηνικαῦτα ἡ καρδία μεταλήψεται.
Since, therefore, in order for the heart to draw some of the air, the thorax must yield, and it yields when it changes its expansion, and it changes it when they are inhaling or exhaling, at that time the heart will receive.
ταυτὶ μὲν ὁ Ἐρασίστρατος.
So much for Erasistratus.
οἱ δ’ ἀντιλέγοντες αὐτῷ πρῶτα μὲν οὐδ’ ἀποδεῖξαί που, μηδ’ ὅλως παρεσπάρθαι τοῖς σώμασί που κενὸν, ἀλλ’ ὅτι μὴ ἀθρόον, ὑπομιμνήσκουσιν· ἔπειτα δὲ, εἰ καὶ τοῦτο συγχωρηθείη, τὸ μηδ’ ὅλως ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ μηδαμοῦ παραπεπλέχθαι κενὸν, ἀλλά τοί γ’ οὐκ ἀδύνατον εἶναί φασι, τὴν αὐτὴν οὐσίαν, χεομένην τε καὶ πάντη τεινομένην, μείζονα τοῦ πρόσθεν τόπον ἐπιλαμβάνειν· καὶ τρίτον, ὅτι τοῖς ἐναργέσιν ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ μάχεται.
But those who contradict him first remind him that he did not demonstrate that void is not scattered at all in bodies, but only that there is no void in mass; secondly, even if this should be granted, namely that no void at all is interwoven anywhere in the cosmos, yet they say that it is not impossible for the same substance, by being diffused and stretched in every direction, to occupy a larger place than before; and thirdly, because his argument conflicts with clear facts.
βλέπομεν γὰρ, ὡς ἕλκει κατὰ τὰς ἐπισχέσεις τῆς ἀναπνοῆς ἡ καρδία τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πνεύμονος ἀέρα.
For we see how the heart, during the holdings of breath, draws the air from the lung.
τοῦτο δ’ ἕπεται τῷ διαστέλλεσθαι τὴν καρδίαν.
And this follows upon the expansion of the heart.
οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνδέχεται κατ’ αὐτὸν, διαστέλλεσθαι μὲν, μηδὲν δ’ ἕλκειν· κενὸς γὰρ ἂν οὕτω γένοιτο τόπος.
For neither is it possible, according to him, for it to expand but draw nothing; for thus an empty place would be created.
εἰ δ’ οὐ διαστέλλεται, δῆλον ὡς οὐδὲ κινεῖται.
And if it does not expand, it is clear that it does not even move.
ἀλλὰ μὴν φαίνεται κινουμένη· τὸ ἐναντίον ἄρα τοῦ πρώτου ὑπερφαίνεται, τὸ τὴν καρδίαν ἕλκειν ἐν ταῖς ἐπισχέσεσιν τῆς ἀναπνοῆς τὸν ἀέρα.
But indeed it is seen to move; therefore the opposite of the first assertion is clearly shown, namely that the heart draws the air during the holdings of breath.
πρὸς δὲ ταῦθ’ οἱ Ἐρασιστράτειοι πάλιν ἀμφισβητοῦσι περί τε χύσεως καὶ συστολῆς τὰ ἐναντία σκευάζειν πειρώμενοι καὶ περὶ τῆς κενοῦ παραπλοκῆς, καὶ ὡς ἡ μὲν καρδία παρὰ μὲν τοῦ πνεύμονος οὐδὲν ἕλκει τηνικαῦτα, παρὰ μέντοι τῆς μεγάλης ἀρτηρίας, ᾗ πρόσθεν ἐχορήγει.
Against this, the Erasistrateans dispute again, attempting to construct opposite arguments concerning diffusion and contraction, and concerning the interweaving of void, and how the heart at that time draws nothing from the lung, but rather from the great artery, which it previously supplied.
τινὲς δὲ οὐδὲ διαστέλλεσθαι ἢ συστέλλεσθαι λέγουσιν αὐτὴν, ἀλλ’ οἷον κραδαίνεσθαι.
And some say that it does not even expand or contract, but only, as it were, vibrates.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀσκληπιάδην εἰρημένα κάλλιον εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ παραλιπεῖν, ἄτοπά τε φανερῶς ὄντα καὶ τῶν προσηκόντων ἐλέγχων ὑπὸ Ἀσκληπιάδου τετυχηκότα.
For the things said by those around Asclepiades seem to me better to omit, being clearly absurd and having met with appropriate refutations by Asclepiades.
διττὴν οὖν ἀνάγκη πρός γε τούτους γενέσθαι τὴν ἀντιλογίαν, πρὸς μὲν τοὺς παρὰ τῆς ἀρτηρίας ἕλκεσθαι τὸν ἀέρα λέγοντας, ἀντιλέγοντας τὴν διὰ τῶν ὑμένων ἐπίφυσιν κωλύουσαν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Ἐρασίστρατος εἴρηκε, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς κραδαίνεσθαι μόνον, ὅτι παρὰ τὸ φαινόμενον λέγουσι· φαίνεται γὰρ ἐν μέρει διαστελλομένη τε καὶ συστελλομένη· κοινὴν δ’ αὖ πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους, τὴν πασῶν τῶν ἀρτηριῶν κίνησιν ὁμοίως γινομένην κατὰ τε τὴν ἀναπνοὴν καὶ τὴν ἐπίσχεσιν.
Therefore, a twofold counter-argument must be made against these: against those who say that the air is drawn from the artery, by arguing that the growth of the membranes prevents it, as Erasistratus himself said, and against those who say that it only vibrates, because they speak contrary to what appears; for it is seen to expand and contract in turn; and a common one against both, that the movement of all the arteries occurs in like manner both during respiration and during its holding.
ἡ μὲν οὖν περὶ χύσεως οὐσίας ζήτησις εἰς τὸ ἀπέραντον μῆκος λόγου ἑκατέροις ἐκπίπτει.
Indeed, the investigation concerning the diffusion of substance falls into an infinite length of discourse for both sides.
πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι παρὰ τῆς μεγάλης ἀρτηρίας ἑλκύσαι τι τὴν καρδίαν διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑμένων ἐπίφυσιν ἀπολογούμενοι φασὶ, περὶ τῆς κατὰ φύσιν οἰκονομίας ταῦτα εἰρηκέναι τὸν Ἐρασίστρατον, οὐ περὶ τῆς βιαίου καὶ παρὰ φύσιν.
But in defense against the point that the heart cannot draw anything from the great artery because of the growth of the membranes, they say that Erasistratus said these things concerning the natural economy, not concerning the violent and unnatural.
ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι διαστελλομένην ἑλκύσαι τὴν καρδίαν, ὅταν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ πνεύμονος ἕλκειν ἔχῃ, παρὰ τῆς μεγάλης ἀρτηρίας μὴ λαμβάνεσθαι, κωλυόντων τῶν ὑμένων· ὅταν δ’ ἀπορῇ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ πνεύμονος χορηγίας, τηνικαῦτα ἐκ τῆς μεγάλης ἀρτηρίας ἀντισπᾷν, βιαζομένην τοὺς ὑμένας.
For since it is necessary for the expanding heart to draw, when it can draw from the lung, it does not receive from the great artery, because the membranes prevent it; but when it lacks the supply from the lung, at that time it draws back from the great artery, forcing the membranes.