§4.4#4ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἐπαμφοτερίζει πᾶσι τοῖς γένεσιν· καὶ γὰρ μονοτοκεῖ καὶ πολυτοκεῖ καὶ ὀλιγοτοκεῖ ποτέ, μάλιστα δὲ μονοτόκον τὴν φύσιν ἐστί, διὰ μὲν τὴν ὑγρότητα τοῦ σώματος καὶ θερμότητα πολυτόκον (τοῦ γὰρ σπέρματος ἡ φύσις ὑγρὰ καὶ θερμή), διὰ δὲ τὸ μέγεθος ὀλιγοτόκον καὶ μονοτόκον.
the other hand, man plays a double part with respect to all classes; for he produces one offspring, many, and sometimes few, but by nature he is especially single-bearing: on the one hand, owing to the moisture and heat of the body he is prolific (for the nature of semen is moist and hot), but on the other hand, owing to his size he produces few or only one.
διὰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς τῆς κυήσεως χρόνους μόνῳ τῶν ζῴων ἀνωμάλους εἶναι συμβέβηκεν.
And because of this, it has happened that the times of gestation are irregular in man alone among animals.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοις εἷς ἐστὶν ὁ χρόνος, τοῖς δ᾽ ἀνθρώποις πλείους· καὶ γὰρ ἑπτάμηνα καὶ δεκάμηνα γεννῶνται καὶ κατὰ τοὺς μεταξὺ χρόνους· καὶ γὰρ τὰ ὀκτάμηνα ζῇ μέν, ἧττον δέ.
For to the others there is but one time, but to men there are several; for they are born at seven months and ten months, and at the intermediate times; for eight-month children do live, though less so.
τὸ δ᾽ αἴτιον ἐκ τῶν νῦν λεχθέντων συνίδοι τις ἄν, εἴρηται δὲ περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς προβλήμασιν.
One might understand the cause of this from what has just been said, and they have been spoken of in the Problems.
καὶ περὶ μὲν τούτων διωρίσθω τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον·
Let these matters, then, be defined in this way.
τῶν δὲ πλεοναζόντων μορίων παρὰ φύσιν τὸ αὐτὸ αἴτιον καὶ τῆς διδυμοτοκίας.
On the other hand, the cause of supernumerary parts contrary to nature is the same as that of twin-bearing.
ἤδη γὰρ ἐν τοῖς κυήμασι συμβαίνει τὸ αἴτιον, ἐὰν πλείω ὕλην συστήσῃ ἢ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ μορίου φύσιν.
For the cause already occurs in the embryos, if they solidify more material than is in accordance with the nature of the part.
τότε γὰρ συμβαίνει μὲν μόριον μεῖζον τῶν ἄλλων ἔχειν, οἷον δάκτυλον ἢ χεῖρα ἢ πόδα ἤ τι τῶν ἄλλων ἀκρωτηρίων ἢ μελῶν, ἢ σχισθέντος τοῦ κυήματος πλείω γίνεσθαι, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς ποταμοῖς αἱ δῖναι.
For then it happens either that they have a part larger than the others, such as a finger, a hand, a foot, or some other of the extremities or limbs, or that when the embryo has been split, several parts are formed, just as eddies in rivers.
καὶ γὰρ ἐν τούτοις τὸ φερόμενον ὑγρὸν καὶ κίνησιν ἔχον ἂν ἀντικρούσῃ, δύο ἐξ ἑνὸς γίνονται συστάσεις, ἔχουσαι τὴν αὐτὴν κίνησιν· τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κυημάτων συμβαίνει.
For in these also, if the flowing liquid, having motion, strikes against an obstacle, two structures are formed out of one, having the same motion; and in the same way it happens also in the case of embryos.
προσφύεται δὲ μάλιστα μὲν πλησίον ἀλλήλων, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ πόρρω διὰ τὴν γιγνομένην ἐν τῷ κυήματι κίνησιν, μάλιστα δὲ διὰ τὸ τὴν τῆς ὕλης ὑπεροχήν, ὅθεν ἀφῃρέθη, ἐκεῖ ἀποδιδόναι, τὸ δ᾽ εἶδος ἔχειν, ὅθεν ἐπλεόνασεν.
And they grow on especially near to one another, but sometimes also far off, owing to the motion occurring in the embryo, but especially because the excess of the material is restored to the place from which it was removed, and takes the form of that part from which it was superabundant.
ὅσα δὲ συμβαίνει τοιαῦτα ὥστε δύο ἔχειν αἰδοῖα, τὸ μὲν ἄρρενος τὸ δὲ θήλεος, ἀεὶ μὲν τῶν πλεοναζόντων γίνεται τὸ μὲν κύριον τὸ δ᾽ ἄκυρον τῷ κατὰ τὴν τροφὴν ἀεὶ ἀμαυροῦσθαι ἅτε παρὰ φύσιν ὄν, προσπέφυκε δ᾽ ὥσπερ τὰ φύματα· καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα λαμβάνει τροφήν, καίπερ ὄντα ὑστερογενῆ καὶ παρὰ φύσιν.
And in those cases where it happens that they have two generative organs, one of a male and the other of a female, of these supernumerary parts one always becomes dominant and the other non-functional, because it is always withered in respect of its nourishment since it is contrary to nature, and it grows on like tumours; for these also receive nourishment, although they are later-formed and contrary to nature.
γίνεται δὲ κρατήσαντος μὲν τοῦ δημιουργοῦντος ὅμοια δύο καὶ κρατηθέντος ὅλως· ἂν δὲ τῇ μὲν κρατήσῃ τῇ δὲ κρατηθῇ, τὸ μὲν θῆλυ τὸ δὲ ἄρρεν.
And if the fashioning element gets the upper hand, two similar organs are formed, and also if it is completely got the upper hand of; but if it gets the upper hand in one part and is got the upper hand of in another, one is female and the other male.
οὐθὲν γὰρ διαφέρει τοῦτο λέγειν ἐπὶ τῶν μορίων ἢ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὅλου, δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν γίνεται τὸ μὲν θῆλυ τὸ δ᾽ ἄρρεν.
For it makes no difference to say this of the parts or of the whole, for what cause one becomes female and the other male.
ὅσα δ᾽ ἐλλείποντα γίνεται τῶν τοιούτων μορίων, οἷον ἀκρωτηρίου τινὸς ἢ τῶν ἄλλων μελῶν, τὴν αὐτὴν δεῖ νομίζειν αἰτίαν, ὅμοιον γάρ, κἂν ὅλως τὸ γινόμενον ἀμβλωθῇ.
And for those of such parts that are formed deficient, such as some extremity or other limbs, one must believe the cause to be the same; for it is similar, even if the developing thing is aborted altogether.
ἀμβλώσεις δὲ γίνονται πολλαὶ τῶν κυημάτων.
And abortions of embryos are frequent.
διαφέρουσι δ᾽ αἱ μὲν παραφύσεις τῆς πολυτοκίας τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον, τὰ δὲ τέρατα τούτων τῷ πολλὰ εἶναι αὐτῶν σύμφυσιν.
Now supernumerary parts differ from prolificacy in the way mentioned, but monsters differ from these in that most of their parts are grown together.
ἔνια δὲ καὶ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον, ἐὰν ἐπὶ μειζόνων γένωνται καὶ κυριωτέρων μορίων, οἷον ἔνια ἔχει δύο σπλῆνας καὶ πλείους νεφρούς.
And some are also in this way, if they occur in larger and more dominant parts, as some have two spleens and several kidneys.
ἔτι δὲ μεταστάσεις τῶν μορίων παρατρεπομένων τῶν κινήσεών εἰσι καὶ τῆς ὕλης μεθισταμένης.
Moreover, transpositions of parts are due to the movements being diverted and the material being shifted.
ἓν δ᾽ εἶναι τὸ ζῷον τὸ τερατῶδες ἢ πλείω συμπεφυκότα δεῖ νομίζειν κατὰ τὴν ἀρχήν, οἷον εἰ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ἡ καρδία μόριον, τὸ μὲν μίαν ἔχον καρδίαν ἓν ζῷον, τὰ δὲ πλεονάζοντα μόρια παραφύσεις, τὰ δὲ πλείω ἔχοντα δύο μὲν εἶναι, συμπεφυκέναι δὲ διὰ τὴν τῶν κυημάτων σύνα ψιν.
And whether the monstrous animal is to be considered one or more grown together must be decided by the starting-point; for instance, if the heart is such a part, that which has one heart is one animal, and the supernumerary parts are attachments, but those having more than one are two animals, grown together through the union of the embryos.
συμβαίνει δὲ πολλάκις καὶ τῶν οὐ δοκούντων ἀναπήρων εἶναι ζῴων πολλοῖς ἤδη τετελειωμένοις τοὺς μὲν συμπεφυκέναι τῶν πόρων τοὺς δὲ παρεκτετράφθαι.
And it happens often, even in many of those animals which do not seem to be deformed, when they are already fully developed, that some of their passages are grown together and others are diverted.
καὶ γὰρ θήλεσί τισιν ἤδη τὸ στόμα τῶν ὑστερῶν συμπεφυκὸς διετέλεσεν, ἤδη δ᾽ ὥρας οὔσης τῶν καταμηνίων καὶ πόνων γιγνομένων ταῖς μὲν αὐτόματον ἐρράγη, ταῖς δ᾽ ὑπὸ ἰατρῶν διῃρέθη· τὰς δὲ διαφθαρῆναι συνέπεσεν ἢ βίᾳ γενομένης τῆς ῥήξεως ἢ γενέσθαι μὴ δυναμένης.
For in some females the mouth of the uterus has remained grown together, and when the season for the menses arrived and pains occurred, in some it burst spontaneously, and in others it was divided by physicians; but it happened that some died, either because the rupture occurred violently or because it was unable to occur.
καὶ τῶν παίδων ἐνίοις οὐ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ συνέπεσε τὸ πέρας τοῦ αἰδοίου καὶ ὁ πόρος ᾗ διέρχεται τὸ περίττωμα τὸ ἐκ τῆς κύστεως, ἀλλ᾽ ὑποκάτωθεν· διὸ καὶ καθήμενοι οὐροῦσι, τῶν δὲ ὄρχεων ἀνεσπασμένων ἄνω δοκοῦσι τοῖς ἄποθεν ἅμα θήλεος ἔχειν αἰδοῖον καὶ ἄρρενος.
And in some children, the end of the penis and the passage where the residue from the bladder passes do not happen to be at the same place, but underneath; wherefore also they urinate sitting down, and since their testes are drawn up high, they seem to those at a distance to have both female and male generative organs.
ἤδη δὲ καὶ ὁ τῆς ξηρᾶς τροφῆς πόρος συμπεφυκὼς ἐπί τινων ζῴων γέγονε, καὶ προβάτων καὶ ἄλλων, ἐπεὶ καὶ βοῦς ἐν Περίνθῳ ἐγένετο ᾗ διὰ τῆς κύστεως λεπτὴ διηθουμένη τροφὴ διεχώρει, καὶ ἀνατμηθέντος τοῦ ἀρχοῦ ταχὺ πάλιν συνεφύετο, καὶ οὐκ ἐπεκράτουν διαιροῦντες.
And already the passage for dry food also has been found grown together in some animals, both sheep and others, since a cow was also born in Perinthus in which the food, being finely filtered, passed through the bladder; and when the anus was cut open, it quickly grew together again, and they did not succeed in keeping it open by cutting.