§3.5Τὰ δὲ νεῦρα τοῖς ζῴοις ἔχει τόνδε τὸν τρόπον.
The sinews in animals are situated in the following manner.
Ἡ μὲν ἀρχὴ καὶ τούτων ἐστὶν ἐκ τῆς καρδίας· καὶ γὰρ ἐν αὑτῇ ἡ καρδία ἔχει νεῦρα ἐν τῇ μεγίστῃ κοιλίᾳ, καὶ ἡ καλουμένη ἀορτὴ νευρώδης ἐστὶ φλέψ, τὰ μὲν τελευταῖα καὶ παντελῶς αὐτῆς· ἄκοιλα γάρ ἐστι, καὶ τάσιν ἔχει τοιαύτην οἵαν περ τὰ νεῦρα, ᾗ τελευτᾷ πρὸς τὰς καμπὰς τῶν ὀστῶν.
Their origin also is from the heart; for the heart itself contains sinews within its largest cavity, and the so-called aorta is a sinewy vein, especially at its extremities, and completely so; for they are hollowless, and have a tension such as that of the sinews, where they end towards the joints of the bones.
Οὐ μὴν ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἔστι συνεχὴς ἡ τῶν νεύρων φύσις ἀπὸ μιᾶς ἀρχῆς, ὥσπερ αἱ φλέβες.
However, the nature of the sinews is not continuous from a single origin, as the veins are.
Αἱ μὲν γὰρ φλέβες, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς γραφομένοις κανάβοις, τὸ τοῦ σώματος ἔχουσι σχῆμα παντὸς οὕτως ὥστ’ ἐν τοῖς σφόδρα λελεπτυσμένοις πάντα τὸν ὄγκον φαίνεσθαι πλήρη φλεβίων (γίνεται γὰρ ὁ αὐτὸς τόπος λεπτῶν μὲν ὄντων φλέβια, παχυνθέντων δὲ σάρκες), τὰ δὲ νεῦρα διεσπασμένα περὶ τὰ ἄρθρα καὶ τὰς τῶν ὀστῶν ἐστὶ κάμψεις.
For the veins, as in outline models, hold the shape of the entire body, so that in very emaciated individuals the whole mass appears full of small veins (for the same place becomes small veins when they are thin, but flesh when they are thickened), while the sinews are scattered around the joints and the flexures of the bones.
Εἰ δ’ ἦν συνεχὴς ἡ φύσις αὐτῶν, ἐν τοῖς λελεπτυσμένοις ἂν καταφανὴς ἐγίνετο ἡ συνέχεια πάντων.
If their nature were continuous, their continuity would have become manifest in emaciated individuals.
Μέγιστα δὲ μέρη τῶν νεύρων τό τε περὶ τὸ μόριον τὸ τῆς ἅλσεως κύριον (καλεῖται δὲ τοῦτο ἰγνύα), καὶ ἕτερον νεῦρον διπτυχές, ὁ τένων, καὶ τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἰσχὺν βοηθητικά, ἐπίτονός τε καὶ ὠμιαία.
The largest parts of the sinews are the part around the member controlling leaping (this is called the ham), and another double sinew, the tendon, and those that assist strength, namely the tension-sinew and the shoulder-sinew.
Τὰ δ’ ἀνώνυμα περὶ τὴν τῶν ὀστῶν ἐστὶ κάμψιν· πάντα γὰρ τὰ ὀστᾶ, ὅσα ἁπτόμενα πρὸς ἄλληλα σύγκεινται, συνδέδενται νεύροις, καὶ περὶ πάντα ἐστὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ πλῆθος νεύρων.
The nameless ones are around the flexure of the bones; for all bones that are fitted together in contact with one another are bound together by sinews, and around all the bones there is a multitude of sinews.
Πλὴν ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδέν, ἀλλ’ αἱ ῥαφαὶ αὐταὶ τῶν ὀστῶν συνέχουσιν αὐτήν.
Except in the head there is none, but the sutures themselves of the bones hold it together.
Ἔστι δ’ ἡ τοῦ νεύρου φύσις σχιστὴ κατὰ μῆκος, κατὰ δὲ πλάτος ἄσχιστος καὶ τάσιν ἔχουσα πολλήν.
The nature of the sinew is splittable longitudinally, but unsplittable latitudinally, and possessing great tension.
Ὑγρότης δὲ περὶ ταῦτα μυξώδης γίνεται, λευκὴ καὶ κολλώδης, ᾗ τρέφεται καὶ ἐξ ἧς γιγνόμενα φαίνεται.
Around these a mucous moisture is produced, white and sticky, by which they are nourished and from which they appear to be generated.
Ἡ μὲν οὖν φλὲψ δύναται πυροῦσθαι, νεῦρον δὲ πᾶν φθείρεται πυρωθέν· κἂν διακοπῇ, οὐ συμφύεται πάλιν.
Now, a vein can be cauterized, but every sinew is destroyed when cauterized; and if it is cut through, it does not grow together again.
Οὐ λαμβάνει δ’ οὐδὲ νάρκη, ὅπου μὴ νεῦρόν ἐστι τοῦ σώματος.
Nor does numbness occur where there is no sinew in the body.
Πλεῖστα δ’ ἐστὶ νεῦρα περὶ τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ πλευρὰς καὶ ὠμοπλάτας καὶ περὶ τὸν αὐχένα καὶ τοὺς βραχίονας.
Sinews are most numerous around the feet, the hands, the ribs, the shoulder-blades, and around the neck and the arms.
Ἔχει δὲ νεῦρα πάντα ὅσα ἔχει αἷμα· ἀλλ’ ἐν οἷς μή εἰσι καμπαὶ ἀλλ’ ἄποδα καὶ ἄχειρά ἐστι, λεπτὰ καὶ ἄδηλα· διὸ τῶν ἰχθύων μάλιστά ἐστι δῆλα πρὸς τοῖς πτερυγίοις.
And all animals that have blood have sinews; but in those where there are no joints, and which are footless and handless, they are fine and inconspicuous; therefore in fish they are most visible near the fins.
§3.6Αἱ δὲ ἶνές εἰσι μεταξὺ νεύρου καὶ φλεβός.
Fibres are intermediate between sinew and vein.
Ἔνιαι δ’ αὐτῶν ἔχουσιν ὑγρότητα τὴν τοῦ ἰχῶρος, καὶ διέχουσιν ἀπό τε τῶν νεύρων πρὸς τὰς φλέβας καὶ ἀπ’ ἐκείνων πρὸς τὰ νεῦρα.
And some of them contain the moisture of ichor, and extend from the sinews to the veins, and from the latter to the sinews.
Εστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλο γένος ἰνῶν, ὃ γίνεται μὲν ἐν αἵματι, οὐκ ἐν ἅπαντος δὲ ζῴου αἵματι· ὧν ἐξαιρουμένων ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος οὐ πήγνυται τὸ αἷμα, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἐξαιρεθῶσι, πήγνυται.
There is also another kind of fibres, which is generated in blood, but not in the blood of every animal; when these are removed from the blood, the blood does not coagulate, but if they are not removed, it coagulates.
Ἐν μὲν οὖν τῷ τῶν πλείστων αἵματι ζῴων ἔνεισιν, ἐν δὲ τῷ τῆς ἐλάφου καὶ προκὸς καὶ βουβαλίδος καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν οὐκ ἔνεισιν ἶνες· διὸ καὶ οὐ πήγνυται αὐτῶν τὸ αἷμα ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοις, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν τῶν ἐλάφων παραπλησίως τῷ τῶν δασυπόδων (ἔστι δ’ ἀμφοτέρων αὐτῶν ἡ πῆξις οὐ στιφρά, καθάπερ ἡ τῶν ἄλλων, ἀλλὰ πλαδῶσα, καθάπερ ἡ τοῦ γάλακτος, ἄν τις εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ πῆγμα μὴ ἐμβάλλῃ), τὸ δὲ τῆς βουβαλίδος πήγνυται μᾶλλον· παραπλησίως γὰρ συνίσταται ἢ μικρῷ ἧττον τοῦ τῶν προβάτων.
Now, they are present in the blood of most animals, but in that of the deer, the roe deer, the bubalis, and some others, fibres are not present; therefore their blood does not coagulate like that of others, but that of the deer is very similar to that of hares (the coagulation of both of them is not firm, like that of the others, but watery, like that of milk if one does not cast rennet into it), while that of the bubalis coagulates more; for it solidifies similarly to or slightly less than that of sheep.
Περὶ μὲν οὖν φλεβὸς καὶ νεύρου καὶ ἰνὸς τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον.
Regarding, then, the vein, the sinew, and the fibre, they are in this manner.