§7.7Ἐν δὲ τῇ τοῦ σπέρματος ἐξόδῳ πρῶτον μὲν ἡγεῖται πνεῦμα (δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ ἔξοδος ὅτι γίνεται ὑπὸ πνεύματος· οὐθὲν γὰρ ῥιπτεῖται πόρρω ἄνευ βίας πνευματικῆς)·
In the emission of the semen, pneuma leads the way first (and the emission itself shows that it occurs by pneuma; for nothing is thrown far without the force of pneuma).
ὅταν δὲ λάβηται τὸ σπέρμα τῆς ὑστέρας καὶ ἐγχρονισθῇ, ὑμὴν περιίσταται.
But when the semen clings to the uterus and remains there, a membrane forms around it.
Φαίνεται γάρ, ὅταν πρὶν διαρθρωθῆναι ἐξέλθῃ, οἷον ᾠὸν ἐν ὑμένι περιεχόμενον ἀφαιρεθέντος τοῦ ὀστράκου· ὁ δ’ ὑμὴν φλεβῶν μεστός.
For it appears, when it comes out before being articulated, like an egg enclosed in a membrane with its shell removed; and the membrane is full of veins.
Πάντα δὲ τὰ πλωτὰ καὶ πτηνὰ καὶ πεζά, εἴτε ζῳοτοκεῖται ἢ ᾠοτοκεῖται, ὁμοίως γίνεται· πλὴν τὸν ὀμφαλὸν τὰ μὲν πρὸς τὴν ὑστέραν ἔχει τὰ ζῳοτοκούμενα, τὰ δὲ πρὸς τῷ ᾠῷ, τὰ δ’ ἀμφοτέρως, οἷον ἐπὶ γένους τινὸς ἰχθύων.
All swimming, flying, and walking animals, whether they are live-bearing or egg-laying, are produced in a similar way; except that live-bearing animals have the umbilical cord towards the uterus, while egg-bearing ones have it towards the egg, and others in both ways, as in a certain genus of fish.
Καὶ τὰ μὲν περιέχουσιν οἷον ὑμένες, τὰ δὲ χόρια· καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τοῦ ἐσχάτου ἐντὸς γίνεται τὸ ζῷον, εἶθ’ ὑμὴν περὶ τοῦτον ἄλλος, τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον προσπεφυκὼς τῇ μήτρᾳ, τῇ δ’ ἀφεστὼς καὶ ὕδωρ ἔχων.
And some are enclosed by membranes, others by chorions; and first the embryo is formed inside the innermost membrane, then another membrane forms around this, mostly attached to the uterus, but detached in part and containing water.
Μεταξὺ δ’ ὑγρότης ὑδατώδης ἢ αἱματώδης, ὁ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν γυναικῶν πρόφορος. §7.8Αὐξάνεται δὲ τὰ ζῷα πάντα, ὅσα ἔχει ὀμφαλόν, διὰ τοῦ ὀμφαλοῦ.
Between them is a watery or bloody fluid, which is called "prophoros" by women. And all animals that have an umbilical cord grow through the umbilical cord.
Ὁ δ’ ὀμφαλός, ὅσα μὲν κοτυληδόνας ἔχει, πρὸς τῇ κοτυληδόνι προσπέφυκεν, ὅσα δὲ λείαν ἔχει τὴν ὑστέραν, πρὸς τῇ ὑστέρᾳ ἐπὶ φλεβός.
And the umbilical cord, in those that have cotyledons, is attached to the cotyledon, and in those that have a smooth uterus, to the uterus upon a vein.
Σχῆμα δ’ ἔχει ἐν τῇ ὑστέρᾳ τὰ μὲν τετράποδα πάντα ἐκτεταμένα, καὶ τὰ ἄποδα πλάγια, οἷον ἰχθύς, τὰ δὲ δίποδα συγκεκαμμένα, οἷον ὄρνις καὶ ἄνθρωπος συγκεκαμμένος· ῥῖνα μὲν μεταξὺ τῶν γονάτων, ὀφθαλμοὺς δ’ ἐπὶ τοῖς γόνασιν, ὦτα δ’ ἐκτός.
And the posture in the uterus for all quadrupeds is extended, and for the legless ones lateral, such as fish, while for the bipeds it is folded, as in birds and folded humans: with the nose between the knees, the eyes upon the knees, and the ears outside.
Ἔχει δ’ ὁμοίως πάντα τὰ ζῷα τὴν κεφαλὴν ἄνω τὸ πρῶτον· αὐξανόμενα δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἔξοδον ὁρμῶντα κάτω περιάγεται, καὶ ἡ γένεσίς ἐστιν ἡ κατὰ φύσιν πᾶσιν ἐπὶ κεφαλήν· συγκεκαμμένα δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ πόδας γίνεται παρὰ φύσιν.
All animals likewise have the head upwards at first; but as they grow and press towards the exit, they turn downwards, and the natural birth for all is head first; births when they are folded or foot first are contrary to nature.
Τὰ δὲ τῶν τετραπόδων ἔχει καὶ περιττώματα, ὅταν ἤδη τέλεια ᾖ, καὶ ὑγρὸν καὶ σφυράδας, τὰς μὲν ἐν τῷ ἐσχάτῳ τοῦ ἐντέρου, ἐν δὲ τῇ κύστει οὖρον.
The embryos of quadrupeds also contain waste products when they are already complete, both fluid and dung pellets, the latter in the end of the intestine, and urine in the bladder.
Τοῖς δ’ ἔχουσι κοτυληδόνας ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ τῶν ζῴων ἀεὶ ἐλάττους γίνονται αἱ κοτυληδόνες αὐξανομένου τοῦ ἐμβρύου, καὶ τέλος ἀφανίζονται.
In animals that have cotyledons in the uterus, the cotyledons always become smaller as the fetus grows, and finally disappear.
Ὁ δ’ ὀμφαλός ἐστι κέλυφος περὶ φλέβας, ὧν ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐκ τῆς ὑστέρας ἐστί, τοῖς μὲν ἔχουσι τὰς κοτυληδόνας ἐκ τῶν κοτυληδόνων, τοῖς δὲ μὴ ἔχουσιν ἀπὸ φλεβός.
The umbilical cord is a sheath around the veins, the origin of which is from the uterus, from the cotyledons in those that have them, and from a vein in those that do not.
Εἰσὶ δὲ τοῖς μὲν μείζοσιν, οἷον τοῖς τῶν βοῶν ἐμβρύοις, τέτταρες αἱ φλέβες, τοῖς δ’ ἐλάττοσι δύο, τοῖς δὲ πάμπαν μικροῖς, οἷον ὄρνισι, μία φλέψ.
In larger animals, such as the embryos of cattle, there are four veins, in smaller ones two, and in very small ones, such as birds, one vein.
Τείνουσι δ’ εἰς τὰ ἔμβρυα αἱ μὲν δύο διὰ τοῦ ἥπατος, ᾗ αἱ καλούμεναι πύλαι εἰσί, πρὸς τὴν φλέβα τὴν μεγάλην, αἱ δὲ δύο πρὸς τὴν ἀορτήν, ᾗ σχίζεται καὶ γίνεται ἡ ἀορτὴ δύο ἐκ μιᾶς.
Two of them extend into the embryos through the liver, where the so-called portal fissure is, towards the great vein, and two towards the aorta, where the aorta splits and becomes two from one.
Εἰσὶ δὲ περὶ τὴν συζυγίαν ἑκατέραν τῶν φλεβῶν ὑμένες, περὶ δὲ τοὺς ὑμένας ὁ ὀμφαλὸς οἷον ἔλυτρον.
Around each pair of veins there are membranes, and around the membranes the umbilical cord is like a sheath.
Αὐξανομένων δ’ ἀεὶ μᾶλλον συμπίπτουσιν αὗται αἱ φλέβες.
As they grow always more, these veins collapse.
Τὸ δ’ ἔμβρυον ἁδρυνόμενον εἴς τε τὰ κοῖλα ἔρχεται, καὶ ἐνταῦθα δῆλόν ἐστι κινούμενον, καὶ ἐνίοτε κυλινδεῖται περὶ τὸ αἰδοῖον. §7.9Ὅταν δ’ ὠδίνωσιν αἱ γυναῖκες, εἰς πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα ἀποστηρίζονται αὐτοῖς οἱ πόνοι, ταῖς δὲ πλείσταις εἰς ὁπότερον ἂν τύχῃ τῶν μηρῶν.
The embryo, as it matures, comes into the hollow parts, and there it is clearly seen moving, and sometimes rolls around the pudenda. And when women are in labor, their pains are fixed in many other places, but for most in whichever of the two thighs it may happen.
Ὅσαις δ’ ἂν περὶ τὴν κοιλίαν σφοδρότατοι γένωνται πόνοι, αὗται τάχιστα τίκτουσιν· καὶ ὅσαι μὲν τὴν ὀσφὺν προαλγοῦσι, μόλις τίκτουσιν, ὅσαι δὲ τὸ ἦτρον, ταχύ.
Those for whom the pains are most severe around the abdomen give birth quickest; and those who feel pain first in the loin give birth with difficulty, but those in the lower abdomen, quickly.
Ἂν μὲν οὖν ἀρρενοτοκῇ, προέρχονται οἱ ἰχῶρες ὑδαρεῖς ὕπωχροι, ἐὰν δὲ θηλυτοκῇ, αἱματώδεις, ὑγροὶ δὲ καὶ οὗτοι· ἐνίαις μέντοι συμβαίνει περὶ τὰς ὠδῖνας καὶ οὐδέτερα τούτων.
If, then, she is bearing a male, the fluids that come out are watery and pale yellow, but if she is bearing a female, they are bloody, though these too are fluid; yet to some women it happens that neither of these occurs during labor.
Τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἄλλοις ζῴοις οὐκ ἐπίπονοι γίνονται οἱ τόκοι, ἀλλὰ μετριωτέρως ἐπίδηλά ἐστιν ἐνοχλούμενα ὑπὸ τῆς ὠδῖνος· ταῖς δὲ γυναιξὶ συμβαίνουσιν οἱ πόνοι ἰσχυρότεροι, καὶ μάλιστα ταῖς ἑδραίαις καὶ ὅσαι μὴ εὔπλευροι μηδὲ δύνανται τὸ πνεῦμα κατέχειν.
Now, for other animals, births are not painful, but they are visibly troubled by labor pains in a more moderate degree; but for women, the pains turn out to be stronger, especially for those of sedentary habits and those who are not broad-chested or cannot hold their breath.
Δυστοκοῦσι δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ἐὰν μεταξὺ ἀποπνεύσωσιν ἀποβιαζόμεναι τῷ πνεύματι.
They have more difficult labor also if they breathe out in the midst of straining with their breath.
Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ὕδρωψ ἐξέρχεται γινομένου τοῦ ἐμβρύου καὶ ῥηγνυμένων τῶν ὑμένων, ἔπειτα τὸ ἔμβρυον, στρεφομένων μὲν τῶν ὑστερῶν, καὶ τοῦ ὑστέρου τὰ ἔσω ἐκτὸς ἴσχοντος.
First, then, water comes out as the embryo is produced and the membranes rupture, then the embryo, with the uterus turning inside out, and the afterbirth projecting its inner parts outwards.