§4#2ἀναγκαῖον γὰρ ἔσται, βελόνῃ τρωθείσης τῆς εἰρημένης ἀρτηρίας, πρῶτον μὲν ἐκκενοῦσθαι τὸ ζωτικὸν πνεῦμα πᾶν, ἔπειτα δὲ εἰς ἁπάσας τὰς ἀρτηρίας αἷμα μεταχεῖσθαι· τὸ δὲ πάντων δεινότατον, ὅτι καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν ἀριστερὰν κοιλίαν τῆς καρδίας.
For it will be necessary, if the aforementioned artery is wounded by a needle, first that all the vital pneuma be emptied, and then that blood be transfused into all the arteries; and what is most terrible of all, even into the very left cavity of the heart.
εἶτα πῶς οὐκ ἐπνίγη τὸ ζῶον, αἵματος ἐμπλησθείσης τῆς κοιλίας ταύτης, ἢ οὐκ ἀπέθανεν ἔμπροσθεν, ἡνίκα ἐξεκενοῦτο τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ζωτικὸν, ἢ τὰς τῶν μυῶν κινήσεις οὐκ ἀπέλειπεν, ἢ τὰς αὐτῶν τῶν ἀρτηριῶν οὐκ ἐβλάβη, ἢ πυρετὸς οὐκ ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ;
Then how is it that the animal was not suffocated when this cavity was filled with blood, or did not die before, when the vital pneuma was being emptied, or that the movements of its muscles did not fail, or those of the arteries themselves were not impaired, or that fever did not follow it?
πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα ἀναγκαῖον ἦν συμπίπτειν κατὰ τὸν Ἐρασίστρατον οὕτως, ὅτε μήτε τὰς κινήσεις τῶν ἀρτηριῶν ὑπελάμβανε τεταγμένας διαμεῖναι δύνασθαι, μηδὲ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος χορηγίαν ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς μορίοις ἀκώλυτον, ὅτι μὴ κενὰ παντελῶς αἵματος ὑπάρχουσιν, ἕπεσθαί τε πυρετὸν ἐξ ἀνάγκης, ὅταν εἰς τὸ ἐντὸς τῶν βουβώνων καὶ μασχαλῶν ἀρτηρίας αἵματος παρέμπτωσις γένηται.
For all these things had to happen in this way according to Erasistratus, since he assumed neither that the ordered movements of the arteries could persist, nor that the supply of pneuma in all the parts could remain unimpeded unless they were completely empty of blood, and that fever followed of necessity whenever an intrusion of blood into the interior of the arteries of the groins and armpits occurred.
καὶ μὴν οὐδὲν τούτων φαίνεται συμπίπτον τῷ ζώῳ.
And yet, none of these things is seen to happen to the animal.
πειραθῆναι δὲ ἔστι παντὶ τῷ βουλομένῳ, καθότι καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπειράθημεν πολλάκις τρώσαντες τὴν προειρημένην ἀρτηρίαν.
But anyone who wishes can make the trial, just as we too have often made the trial by wounding the aforementioned artery.
οὐ χαλεπῶς δὲ ἐξευρήσεις αὐτὴν καὶ πρὶν γυμνῶσαι τὸ δέρμα τῷ σφυγμῷ τεκμαιρόμενος.
And you will find it without difficulty even before exposing the skin, by judging from the pulsation.
διασημαίνει γὰρ ἡ κίνησις ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἰσχνοῖς ζώοις ἐπιπλέον, ἐν δὲ τοῖς πίοσιν πλησίον τοῦ κατ’ ὀλέκρανον ἄρθρου.
For the movement shows itself more on the surface in thin animals, but in fat ones near the joint at the olecranon.
ταύτῃ τοίνυν, εἴπερ ἂν δεήσῃ, τιτρώσεις, ᾒ γραφεῖον ὀρθώσας καὶ καθιεὶς, ἢ βελόνην, ἤ τι τῶν ἰατρικῶν μαχαιρίων τῶν ἰσχνῶν, ἤ τι τῶν παραπλησίων ὀργάνων, ὅσα βραχεῖαν δύναται ποιῆσαι τὴν διαίρεσιν, ἵνα τά τ’ ἄλλα πάνθ’, ὅσα πρόσθεν εἴρηται, κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἀποδείξῃς αὐτῶν, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν οὔθ’ αἱ τῶν ἀρτηριῶν κινήσεις οὔθ’ αἱ τῶν μυῶν παραβλάπτονται.
Therefore, if it should be necessary, you will wound it in this place, either by holding a style upright and letting it down, or a needle, or one of the slender surgical knives, or any of the similar instruments that can make a short incision, so that you may demonstrate on the spot all the other things mentioned before, and how neither the movements of the arteries nor those of the muscles are in any way impaired.
μὴ τοίνυν ὅτι μεγάλης ἀρτηρίας τιτρωσκομένης ἀνάγκη ταῦτα συμβαίνειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μικρᾶς τῆς τυχούσης καὶ τοῦ δέρματος μόνον.
Do not suppose, then, that these things must happen only when a large artery is wounded, but also with any small one, and even with the skin alone.
οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο βούλεται πλέγμα τῶν τριῶν ἀγγείων ὑπάρχειν, ὥστ’, εἰ καθ’ ὁτιοῦν αὐτῶν μέρος νύξειας βελόνῃ λεπτῇ, πάντως τὰ τρία γένη τῶν ἀγγείων τετρώσεται.
For he holds that this [skin] is a network of the three vessels, so that if you prick any part of them with a fine needle, all three kinds of vessels will certainly be wounded.
νυττέσθω τοίνυν τὸ κατὰ τὸν βραχίονα δέρμα τὸ ἐπικείμενον τῇ κατὰ τὰς μασχάλας ἀρτηρίᾳ, εἶτ’ ἐκκενούσθω τὸ διὰ τῆς ἀδήλου μὲν πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν διαπνοῆς, ὅπερ Ἐρασίστρατος βούλεται γίγνεσθαι, τετρωμένης ἀρτηρίας πνεῦμα, συνεκκενούσθω δ’ αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ συνεχὲς τὸ κατὰ τὴν ὑποκειμένην ἀρτηρίαν τὴν μεγάλην, τὴν διὰ τῆς μασχάλης.
Let the skin, then, of the arm that lies over the artery at the armpit be pricked; then let the pneuma of the wounded artery be emptied through the perspiration invisible to sight, which Erasistratus holds to occur, and along with it let the continuous pneuma in the underlying great artery through the armpit be emptied too.
πάντη γάρ που τό γε ἐπικείμενον τοῖς μορίοις τοῦ σώματος δέρμα πρὸς τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἀρτηριῶν ἀποφύσεις τινὰς λαμβάνει· ἀλλ’ εἰ καὶ παρ’ ἄλλων τινῶν, οὐδὲν ἐμοί γ’ οὖν διαφέρει.
For surely the skin lying over the parts of the body receives certain offshoots from the underlying arteries; but even if from some others, it makes no difference to me at least.
συνεκκενωθήσονται γὰρ, αἵτινες ἂν ὦσι, ταῖς κατὰ τὸ τιτρωσκόμενον δέρμα συνεχέσιν, ἐκείναις δὲ αἱ λοιπαὶ πᾶσαι· ταῦτα γὰρ ἐδείχθη μικρῷ πρόσθεν.
For they will be emptied along with those continuous with the wounded skin, whatever they may be, and along with them all the rest; for these things were demonstrated a little before.
εἶτα πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον, κᾂν εἰ τῇ λεπτοτάτῃ βελόνῃ τρωθείη τὸ δέρμα, εὐθὺς οὕτω πάσας μὲν ἐμπίπλασθαι τὰς ἀρτηρίας αἵματος, πυρετὸν δ’ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἕπεσθαι;
Then how is it not absurd that, even if the skin is wounded by the finest needle, immediately in this way all the arteries are filled with blood, and fever of necessity follows?