§5.8Περὶ δὲ ὀδόντων, ὅτι μὲν οὐχ ἑνὸς χάριν, οὐδὲ πάντα τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν τὰ ζῷα ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν διὰ τὴν τροφήν, τὰ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἀλκὴν καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἐν τῇ φωνῇ λόγον, εἴρηται πρότερον· διότι δ᾽ οἱ μὲν πρόσθιοι γίνονται πρότερον οἱ δὲ γόμφιοι ὕστερον, καὶ οὗτοι μὲν οὐκ ἐκπίπτουσιν, ἐκεῖνοι δ᾽ ἐκπίπτουσι καὶ φύονται πάλιν, τοῖς περὶ γενέσεως λόγοις τὴν αἰτίαν συγγενῆ δεῖ νομίζειν.
Concerning teeth, that animals have them not for one sake, nor all for the same sake, but some for the sake of nourishment, others also for defence and for speech in the voice, has been said before; but why the front teeth are formed earlier and the grinders later, and the latter do not shed while the former shed and grow again, we must consider the cause as akin to the accounts concerning generation.
εἴρηκε μὲν οὖν περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ Δημόκριτος, οὐ καλῶς δ᾽ εἴρηκεν.
Now Democritus also has spoken about them, but he has not spoken well.
οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ πάντων σκεψάμενος καθόλου λέγει τὴν αἰτίαν.
For he does not state the cause universally after having examined all cases.
φησὶ γὰρ ἐκπίπτειν μὲν διὰ τὸ πρὸ ὥρας γίνεσθαι τοῖς ζῴοις· ἀκμαζόντων γὰρ ὡς εἰπεῖν φύεσθαι κατά γε φύσιν.
For he says they shed because they are formed in animals before the proper time; for, so to speak, they would naturally grow when the animals are in their prime.
τοῦ δὲ πρὸ ὥρας γίνεσθαι τὸ θηλάζειν αἰτιᾶται.
And he blames sucking for their being formed before the proper time.
καίττοι θηλάζει γε καὶ ὗς, οὐκ ἐκβάλλει δὲ τοὺς ὀδόντας· ἔτι δὲ τὰ καρχαρόδοντα θηλάζει μὲν πάντα, οὐκ ἐκβάλλει δ᾽ ἔνια αὐτῶν πλὴν τοὺς κυνόδοντας, οἷον οἱ λέοντες.
Yet the pig also sucks, but does not shed its teeth; furthermore, saw-toothed animals all suck, but some of them do not shed any teeth except the canines, as for instance lions.
τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἥμαρτε καθόλου λέγων, οὐ σκεψάμενος τὸ συμβαῖνον ἐπὶ πάντων, δεῖ δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὸν λέγοντα καθόλου τι λέγειν περὶ πάντων.
He made this error, then, in speaking universally, without having examined what happens in all cases; and this is what one ought to do, for it is necessary for one who speaks universally to speak of all.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν φύσιν ὑποτιθέμεθα, ἐξ ὧν ὁρῶμεν ὑποτιθέμενοι, οὔτ᾽ ἐλλείπουσαν οὔτε μάταιον οὐθὲν ποϊοῦσαν τῶν ἐνδεχομένων περὶ ἕκαστον, ἀνάγκη δὲ τοῖς μέλλουσι λαμβάνειν τροφὴν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ γάλακτος ἀπόλαυσιν ἔχειν ὄργανα πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν τῆς τροφῆς· εἰ οὖν συνέβαινεν, ὡς ἐκεῖνος λέγει, πρὸς ἤβην, ἐνέλειπεν ἂν ἡ φύσις τῶν ἐνδεχομένων αὐτῇ τι ποιεῖν, καὶ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἔργον ἐγίγνετ’ ἂν παρὰ φύσιν.
And since we assume Nature—making assumptions from what we see—to be neither lacking nor doing anything in vain of what is possible in each case, and since it is necessary for those who are going to take nourishment after the enjoyment of milk to have organs for the preparation of the nourishment; if therefore it happened, as he says, towards puberty, Nature would fail in what was possible for her to do, and the work of Nature would become contrary to nature.
τὸ γὰρ βία παρὰ φύσιν, βίᾳ δέ φησι συμβαίνειν τὴν γένεσιν τῶν ὀδόντων.
For what is by force is contrary to nature, and he says the generation of teeth happens by force.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν τοῦτ᾽ οὐκ ἀληθές, φανερὸν ἐκ τούτων καὶ τοιούτων ἄλλων.
That this is not true, then, is clear from these and other such things.
γίνονονται δὲ πρότερον οὗτοι τῶν πλατέων πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι καὶ τὸ ἔργον τὸ τούτων πρότερον (πρότερον γάρ ἐστι τοῦ λεᾶναι τὸ διελεῖν, εἰσὶ δ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ λεαίνειν, οὗτοι δ᾽ ἐπὶ τῷ διαιρεῖν), ἔπειθ᾽ ὅτι τὸ ἔλαττον, κἂν ἅμα ὁρμηθῇ, θᾶττον γίνεσθαι πέφυκε τοῦ μείζονος.
And these are formed before the broad ones, first because their work also is prior (for dividing is prior to grinding, and those are for grinding, while these are for dividing), secondly because the smaller, even if it starts at the same time, is naturally formed more quickly than the larger.
εἰσὶ δ᾽ ἐλάττους οὗτοι τῷ μεγέθει τῶν γομφίων, καὶ τὸ ὀστοῦν τῆς σιαγόνος ἐκεῖ μὲν πλατὺ εἶναι, πρὸς δὲ τῷ στόματι στενόν.
And these are smaller in size than the grinders, and the bone of the jaw is broad there, but narrow near the mouth.
ἐκ μὲν οὖν τοῦ μείζονος πλείω ἀναγκαῖον ἐπιρρεῖν τροφήν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἐλάττονος στενωτέραν.
From the larger part, therefore, more nourishment must flow in, and from the smaller, narrower.
τὸ δὲ θηλάζειν αὐτὸ μὲν οὐθὲν συμβάλλεται, ἡ δὲ τοῦ γάλακτος θερμότης ποιεῖ θᾶττον βλαστάνειν τοὺς ὀδόντας.
As for sucking, it contributes nothing itself, but the heat of the milk makes the teeth sprout more quickly.
σημεῖον δ᾽ ὅτι καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν θηλαζόντων τὰ θερμοτέρῳ γάλακτι χρώμενα τῶν παιδίων ὀδοντοφυεῖ θᾶττον· αὐξητικὸν γὰρ τὸ θερμόν.
And a sign is that even among infants who suck, those who use warmer milk teethe more quickly; for heat promotes growth.
ἐκπίπτουσι δὲ γενόμενοι τοῦ μὲν βελτίονος χάριν, ὅτι ταχὺ ἀμβλύνεται τὸ ὀξύ· δεῖ οὖν ἑτέροῦς διαδέχεσθαι πρὸς τὸ ἔργον.
And they shed, once they are formed, for the sake of the better, because the sharp is quickly blunted; so others must succeed them for the work.
τῶν δὲ πλατέων ἐκ ἔστιν ἀμβλύτης, ἀλλὰ τῷ χρόνῳ τριβόμενοι λεαίνονται μόνον.
But for the broad ones there is no blunting, but being rubbed in time they only become smooth.
ἐξ ἀνάγκης δ᾽ ἐκπίπτουσιν, ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἐν πλατείᾳ τῇ σιαγόνι καὶ ἰσχυρῷ ὀστῷ αἱ ῥίζαι εἰσί, τῶν δὲ προσθίων ἐν λεπτῷ, διὸ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ εὐκίνητοι.
And they shed of necessity, because the roots of the one are in a broad jaw and strong bone, while those of the front teeth are in a thin one, wherefore they are weak and easily moved.
φύονται δὲ πάλιν, ὅτι ἐν φυομένῳ ἔτι τῷ ὀστῷ ἡ ἐκβολὴ γίνεται καὶ ἔτι ὥρας οὔσης γίνεσθαι ὀδόντας.
And they grow again, because the shedding happens while the bone is still growing and while there is still time for teeth to be formed.
τούτου δὲ σημεῖον ὅτι καὶ οἱ πλατεῖς φύονται πολὺν χρόνον· οἱ γὰρ τελευταῖοι ἀνατέλλουσι περὶ τὰ εἴκοσιν ἔτη, ἐνίοις δ᾽ ἤδη καὶ γηράσκουσι γεγένηνται οἱ ἔσχατοι παντελῶς διὰ τὸ πολλὴν εἶναι τροφὴν ἐν τῇ εὐρυχχωρίᾳ τοῦ ὀστοῦ.
And a sign of this is that even the broad ones grow for a long time; for the last ones emerge around twenty years of age, and in some indeed, even when they are growing old, the very last ones have appeared, because there is much nourishment in the spaciousness of the bone.
τὸ δὲ πρόσθιον διὰ τὴν λεπτότητα ταχὺ λαμβάνει τέλος, καὶ οὐ γίνεται περίττωμα ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὴν αὔξησιν ἀναλίσκεται ἡ τροφὴ τὴν οἰκείαν.
But the front part, due to its thinness, quickly reaches its completion, and no residue is formed in it, but the nourishment is consumed for its own growth.
Δημόκριτος δὲ τὸ οὗ ἕνεκα ἀφεὶς λέγειν, πάντα ἀνάγει εἰς ἀνάγκην οἷς χρῆται ἡ φύσις, οὖσι μὲν τοιούτοις, οὐ μὴν ἀλλ᾽ ἕνεκά τινος οὖσι, καὶ τοῦ περὶ ἕκαστον βελτίονος χάριν.
Democritus, however, omitting to speak of that for the sake of which, reduces to necessity all the things which Nature uses, which, though being of such a kind, are nevertheless for the sake of something, and for the sake of what is better in each case.
ὥστε γίνεσθαι μὲν οὐθὲν κωλύει οὕτω καὶ ἐκπίπτειν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ διὰ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ τέλος· ταῦτα δ᾽ ὡς κινοῦντα καὶ ὄργανα καὶ ὡς ὕλη αἴτια, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ τῷ πνεύματι ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ πολλὰ εἰκὸς ὡς ὀργάνῳ· οἷον γὰρ ἔνια πολύχρηστά ἐστι τῶν περὶ τὰς τέχνας, ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ χαλκευτικῇ ἡ σφύρα καὶ ὁ ἄκμων, οὕτως καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐν τοῖς φύσει συνεστῶσιν.
So that nothing prevents them from being formed and shedding in this way, yet not because of these things, but because of the end; and these are causes as things moving and as instruments and as matter, since it is likely that Nature also works most things with breath as an instrument; for just as some of the things in the crafts are of many uses, as in smithing the hammer and the anvil, so also is breath in things constituted by nature.
ὅμοιον δ᾽ ἔοικε τὸ λέγειν τὰ αἴτια ἐξ ἀνάγκης κἂν εἴ τις διὰ τὸ μαχαίριον οἴοιτο τὸ ὕδωρ ἐξεληλυθέναι μόνον τοῖς ὑδρωπιῶσιν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ διὰ τὸ ὑγιαίνειν οὗ ἕνεκα τὸ μαχαίριον ἔτεμεν Περὶ μὲν οὖν ὀδόντων, διότι οἱ μὲν ἐκπίπτουσι καὶ γίνονται πάλιν, οἱ δ᾽ ὄυ, καὶ ὅλως διὰ τίν᾽ αἰτίαν γίνονται, εἴρηται.
And to state the causes from necessity seems similar to as if someone should think that water has gone out in dropsical patients only because of the lancet, and not for the sake of health, for the sake of which the lancet made the incision. Concerning teeth, then, why some shed and are formed again, while others do not, and in general for what cause they are formed, has been said.
εἴρηται δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν κατὰ τὰ μόρια παθημάτων, ὅσα γίνεσθαι συμβαίνει μὴ ἕνεκά του ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ διὰ τὴν αἰτίαν τὴν κινητικήν.
And it has also been said concerning the other affections of the parts, as many as happen to occur not for the sake of something but of necessity and through the moving cause.