§4.6#2ἀσθενέστερα γάρ ἐστι καὶ ψυχρότερα τὰ θήλεα τὴν φύσιν, καὶ δεῖ ὑπολαμβάνειν ὥσπερ ἀναπηρίαν εἶναι τὴν θηλύτητα φυσικήν.
the females are by nature weaker and colder, and one must conceive of female sex as being, as it were, a natural deformity.
ἔσω μὲν οὖν διακρίνεται διὰ τὴν ψυχρότητα βραδέως (ἡ γὰρ διάκρισις πέψις ἐστί, πέττει δ᾽ ἡ θερμότης, εὔπεπτον δὲ τὸ θερμότερον), ἐκτὸς δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν ταχὺ συνάπτει πρὸς τὴν ἀκμὴν καὶ τὸ γῆρας· πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἐλάττω πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἔρχεται θᾶττον, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τέχνην ἔργοις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑπὸ φύσεως συνισταμένοις.
Therefore, within the mother, they differentiate slowly because of their coldness (for differentiation is concoction, and heat concocts, and what is hotter is easily concocted), but outside, because of their weakness, they quickly reach their prime and old age; for all smaller things come to their end more quickly, just as in the works of art and in those constituted by nature.
διὰ τὸ εἰρημένον δ᾽ αἴτιον καὶ ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ διδυμοτοκούμενα θῆλυ καὶ ἄρρεν ἧττον σώζεται, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις οὐθὲν ἧττον· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ παρὰ φύσιν τὸ ἰσοδρομεῖν, οὐκ ἐν ἴσοις χρόνοις γινομένης τῆς διακρίσεως, ἀλλ᾽ ἀνάγκη τὸ ἄρρεν ὑστερεῖν ἢ τὸ θῆλυ προτερεῖν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις οὐ παρὰ φύσιν.
And because of the stated cause, among humans, twins born as a female and a male are less often saved (survive), but among other animals they survive no less; for in humans, running a race together is contrary to nature, since their differentiation does not occur in equal times, but it is necessary that the male lags behind or the female precedes, whereas in other animals it is not contrary to nature.
συμβαίνει δὲ καὶ διαφορὰ περὶ τὰς κυήσεις ἐπί τε τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων· τὰ μὲν γὰρ εὐθηνεῖ μᾶλλον τοῖς σώμασι τὸν πλεῖστον χρόνον, τῶν δὲ γυναικῶν αἱ πολλαὶ δυσφοροῦσι περὶ τὴν κύησιν.
Moreover, a difference occurs regarding gestation between humans and other animals; for the latter are mostly healthier in their bodies during most of the time, whereas most women suffer discomfort during pregnancy.
ἔστι μὲν οὖν αἴτιόν τι τούτων καὶ διὰ τὸν βίον· ἑδραῖαι γὰρ οὖσαι πλείονος γέμουσι περιττώματος, ἐπεὶ ἐν οἷς ἔθνεσι πονητικὸς ὁ τῶν γυναικῶν βίος, οὔθ᾽ ἡ κύησις ὁμοίως ἐπίδηλός ἐστι, τίκτουσί τε ῥᾳδίως κἀκεῖ καὶ πανταχοῦ αἱ εἰωθυῖαι πονεῖν·
Now, one cause of these things is also due to their mode of life; for being sedentary, they are full of more residue, since among those nations where the life of women is laborious, neither is their pregnancy so conspicuous, and they give birth easily both there and everywhere if they are accustomed to labor.
ἀναλίσκει γὰρ ὁ πόνος τὰ περιττώματα, ταῖς δ᾽ ἑδραίαις ἐνυπάρχει πολλὰ τοιαῦτα διὰ τὴν ἀπονίαν καὶ τὸ μὴ γίνεσθαι καθάρσεις κυούσαις, ἥ τε ὠδὶς ἐπίπονός ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ πόνος γυμνάζει τὸ πνεῦμα ὥστε δύνασθαι κατέχειν, ἐν ᾧ τὸ τίκτειν ἐστὶ ῥᾳδίως ἢ χαλεπῶς.
For labor consumes the residues, whereas in sedentary women many such residues are present owing to the lack of labor and because the purgations do not take place during pregnancy, and their labor-pains are painful; but labor trains the breath so that they are able to hold it, upon which holding depends giving birth easily or with difficulty.
ἔστι μὲν οὖν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, καὶ ταῦτα συμβαλλόμενα πρὸς τὴν διαφορὰν τοῦ πάθους τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις καὶ ταῖς γυναιξί, μάλιστα δ᾽ ὅτι τοῖς μὲν αὐτῶν ὀλίγη γίνεται κάθαρσις, τοῖς δ᾽ οὐκ ἐπίδηλος ὅλως, ταῖς δὲ γυναιξὶ πλείστη τῶν ζῴων, ὥστε μὴ γινομένης τῆς ἐκκρίσεως διὰ τὴν κύησιν ταῖς μὲν ταραχὴν παρέχει·
Therefore, as has been said, these things also contribute to the difference in this affection between other animals and women, but most of all the fact that in some of those animals only a little purgation occurs, and in others it is not conspicuous at all, whereas in women it is the greatest among all animals, so that when the secretion does not take place because of pregnancy, it causes them disturbance.
καὶ γὰρ μὴ κυούσαις, ὅταν αἱ καθάρσεις μὴ γίγνωνται, νόσοι συμβαίνουσιν· καὶ τὸ πρῶτον δὲ ταράττονται συλλαμβάνουσαι μᾶλλον αἱ πλεῖσται τῶν γυναικῶν· τὸ γὰρ κύημα κωλύειν μὲν δύναται τὰς καθάρσεις, διὰ μικρότητα δὲ οὐδὲν ἀναλίσκει πλῆθος τοῦ περιττώματος τὸ πρῶτον, ὕστερον δὲ κουφίζει μεταλαμβάνον·
For even when they are not pregnant, when the purgations do not take place, illnesses occur; and at first, most women are more disturbed when they conceive; for the embryo is able to prevent the purgations, but owing to its smallness it consumes no quantity of the residue at first, though later it relieves them by taking a share of it.
ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις διὰ τὸ ὀλίγον εἶναι σύμμετρον γίνεται πρὸς τὴν αὔξησιν τῶν ἐμβρύων, καὶ ἀναλισκομένων τῶν περιττωμάτων τῶν ἐμποδιζόντων τὴν τροφὴν εὐημερεῖ τοῖς σώμασι μᾶλλον.
But in other animals, because the residue is small, it is commensurate with the growth of the embryos, and as the residues that hinder nourishment are consumed, they are healthier in their bodies.
καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐνύδροις τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὄρνισιν.
And in the same way also in aquatic animals and in birds.
ἤδη δὲ μεγάλων γινομένων τῶν κυημάτων, ὅσοις μηκέτι συμβαίνει ἡ εὐτροφία τῶν σωμάτων, αἴτιον τὸ τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ κυήματος δεῖσθαι πλείονος τῆς περιττωματικῆς τροφῆς.
But when the embryos have already become large, in those parents where well-nourished state of their bodies no longer occurs, the cause is that the growth of the embryo requires more than the residuetic nourishment.
ὀλίγαις δέ τισι τῶν γυναικῶν βέλτιον ἔχειν τὰ σώματα συμβαίνει κυούσαις· αὗται δ᾽ εἰσὶν ὅσαις μικρὰ τὰ περιττώματα ἐν τῷ σώματι, ὥστε καταναλίσκεσθαι μετὰ τῆς εἰς τὸ ἔμβρυον τροφῆς.
In some few women, however, it happens that their bodies are in better condition during pregnancy; these are those who have little residue in their bodies, so that it is consumed along with the nourishment that goes to the embryo.