§2.9.19 Ἔχει δʼ ὁμοίως ἥ τε τῶν ὀστῶν καὶ ἡ τῶν φλεβῶν φύσις.
9 The nature of bones and that of veins are in a similar state.
ἑκατέρα γὰρ οὐτων ἀφοʼ ἑνὸς ἠργμένη συνεχής ἐστι, καὶ οὔτʼ ὀστοῦν ἐστὶν αὐτὸ καθʼ αὑτὸ οὐδέν, ἁλλ’ ἢ μόριον ὡς συνεχοῦς ἤ ἁπτόμενον καὶ προσδεδεμένον, ἵνα χρῆται ἡ φύσις καὶ ὡς ἑνὶ καὶ συνεχεῖ καὶ ὡς δυσὶ καὶ διῃρημένοις πρὸς τὴν κάμυψιν.
For each of them, starting from one origin, is continuous, and there is no bone that is independent by itself, but it is either a part of a continuous whole or touching and bound to another, so that nature may use them both as one and continuous and as two and divided for the sake of bending.
§2.9.22 ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ φλὲψ οὐδεμία αὐτὴ καθʼ αὑτήν ἐστιν, ἀλλἀ πᾶσαι μόριον μιᾶς εἰσίν.
2 And likewise no vein is independent by itself, but all are parts of a single vein.
ὀστοῦν τε γὰρ εἴ τι κεχωρισμένον ἦν, τό τʼ ἔργον οὐκ ἂν ἐποίει οὐ χάριν ἡ τῶν ὀστῶν ἐστὶ φύσις (οὔτε γὰρ ἄν κάμψεως ἠν αἴτίον οὔτʼ ὀρθότητος οὐδεμιἀς μὴ συνἄκανθά εχὲς ὂν ἀλλἀ διαλεῖπον), ἔτι τʼ ἔβλαπτεν ἄν ὥσπερ τις ἢ βέλος ἐνὸν ταῖς σαρξίν.
For if there were any separate bone, it would not perform the function for the sake of which the nature of bones exists (for if it were not continuous but separate, it would be the cause of neither bending nor of any uprightness), and furthermore it would do harm, just as if a missile or something were present in the flesh.
εἴτε φλὲψ ἦν τις κεχωρισμένη καὶ μὴ συνεχὴς πρὸς τὴν ἀρχήν, οὐκ ἄν ἔσωζε τὸ ἐν αὑτῇ αἷμα· ἡ γὰρ ἀπʼ ἐκείνης θερμότης κωολύει πηγνυσσθαι, φαίνεται δὲ καὶ σηπὸμενον τὸ χωριζὀμενον.
And if some vein were separated and not continuous with the origin, it would not preserve the blood within itself; for the heat from that origin prevents it from coagulating, and that which is separated is also seen to putrefy.
§2.9.3ἀρχὴ δὲ τῶν μὲν φλεβῶν ἡ καρδία, 3 τῶν δʼ ὀστῶν ἡ καλουμένη ῥάχις τοῖς ἔχουσιν ὀστᾶ πόσιν, ἀφοʼ ἧς συνεχὴς ἡ τῶν ἄλλων ὀστῶν ἐστὶ φύσις· ἡ γὰρ τὸ μὴκρς καὶ τὴν ὁρθὸτητα συνέχουσα τῶν ζῷόων ἡ ῥάχις ἐστίν.
3 And the origin of the veins is the heart, and that of the bones is the so-called spine in all animals that have bones, from which the nature of the other bones is continuous; for it is the spine that holds together the length and the uprightness of animals.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἀνάγκη κινουμένου τού ζῷὸου κάμπτεσθαι τὸ σώμα, μία μὲν διὰ τὴν συνέχειάν ἐστι, πολυμερὴς δὲ τὴ διαιρέσει τῶν σπονδύλων.
But since it is necessary for the body to bend when the animal moves, the spine is one indeed because of its continuity, but of many parts by the division of the vertebrae.
ἐκ δὲ ταύτης τοῖς ἔχουσι κῶλα συνεχῆ πρὸς αὑτήν, τὰ τούτων ὀστᾶ τῶν ἀρμονιον ἐστίν, ᾖ μὲν ἔχει τὰ κῶλα κάμψιν, συνδεδεμένα τε νεύροις, καὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων συναρμοττόντων, τοὺ μὲν ὄντος κοίλου τοῦ δὲ περιφεροῦς, ἤ καὶ ἀμφοτέρων κοίλων, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ περιειληφότων, οἷον γόμφον, ἀστράγαλον, ἵνα γίνηται κάμψις καὶ ἔκτασις· ἄλίως γὰρ ἢ ὅλως ἀδύνατον, ἦ οὑ καλῶς ἄν ἐποίουν τὴν τοιαύτην κίνησιν.
And from this, in those that have limbs continuous with it, the bones of these are connected by joints, where the limbs have bending, bound together by sinews, and with their extremities fitting together, one being hollow and the other rounded, or even both hollow, enclosing in the middle, like a bolt, an astragalus, so that bending and extension may take place; for otherwise it is either entirely impossible or they would not perform such movement well.
§2.9.4ἔυια δʼ αὐτῶν ὁμοίαν ἔχοντα τὴν ἀρχὴν τὴν 4 θατέρου τῇ τελευτῇ θατέρου, συνδέδεται νεύροις.
4 And some of them, having the origin of one 4 similar to the end of the other, are bound together by sinews.
καὶ χονδρώδη δὲ μόρια μεταξὺ τῶν κάμψεων εἰσιν, οἷον στοιβή, πρὸς τὸ ἄλληλα μὴ τρίβειν.
And there are cartilaginous parts between the bendings, like packing, so that they do not rub against one another.
περὶ δὲ τὰ ὀστᾶ αἱ σάρκες περιπεφύκασι, προθειλημμέναι λεπτοῖς καὶ ἰνύόδεσι δεσμοῖς, ὡν ἕνεκεν τὸ τῶν ὀστῶν ἐστὶ γένος.
And around the bones the flesh has grown, pre-secured by thin and fibrous bonds, for the sake of which the class of bones exists.
§2.9.5ὧσπερ γὰρ οἱ πλάττοντες ἐκ πηλού ζῷον ἥ 5 τινος ἄλλης ὑγρᾶς συστάσεως ὑφιστἀσι τῶν στερεᾳν τι σωμάτωον, εἶθʼ οὕτω περιπλάττουσε, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἡ φύσις δεδνηιούργηχεν ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν τὸ ζῷον.
5 For just as those who model an animal from clay or 5 some other moist consistency set up some solid body as a support, and then mold the clay around it, in the same way nature has fashioned the animal from flesh.
τοῖς μὲν οὑν ἄλίοις ὕπεστιν ὀστᾶ τοῖς σαρκώδεσι μορίοις, τοῖς μὲν κινουμένοις διὰ κάμψιν τούτου χάριν, τοῖς δʼ ἀκινήτοις φυλακῆς ἕνεκεν, οἷον αί συγκλείουσαι πλευραὶ τὸ στὴθος σωτηρίας χέρι τῶν περὶ την καρδίαν σπλάγχνων· τὰ δὲ περὶ τὴν κοιλίαν ἀνόστεα πᾶσιν, ὅπως μὴ κωλύῃ τὴν ἀνοίδησιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς τροφῆς γινομένην τοῖς ζῴοις ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ τοῖς θήλεσι τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς τῶν ἐμβρύων αὔξησιν.
Thus, under the other fleshy parts bones are underlying, for the sake of this in the moving parts for bending, and in the motionless parts for the sake of protection, as the ribs which enclose the chest for the safety of the viscera around the heart; but the parts around the belly are boneless in all, so that they may not prevent the swelling that necessarily occurs in animals from food, and in females the growth of the embryos within them.
§2.9.6τὰ μὲν οὖν ζῳοτόκα τῶν ζῴων καὶ ἐν αὑτοῖς 6 καὶ ἐκτὸς παραπλησίων ἔχει τὴν τῶν ὀστῶν δύναμιν καὶ ἰσχυράν.
6 Now, the viviparous animals have the capacity of their bones similar and strong both within themselves 6 and on the outside.
πολὺ γὰρ μείζω πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν μὴ ζῳοτόκων ὡς κατὰ λόγον εἰπεῖν τῶν σωμάτων· ἐνιαχοῦ γὰρ πολλὰ γίνεται μεγάλα τῶν ζῳοτόκων, οἷον ἐν Λιβύῃ καὶ τοῖς τόποις τοῖς θερμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ξηροῖς.
For all such animals have much larger bodies than non-viviparous ones, to speak proportionally; for in some places many viviparous animals become large, as in Libya and in hot and dry places.