Humanitext Reader

Aristotle · Parts of Animals §4.3.1-4.3.5

Nature of the Omentum and Mesentery in Digestion

Passage 64 of 84 · Greek

Summary

Concluding the discussion on bile, the author explains the nature and generation of the omentum and the mesentery. The omentum is described as a fatty membrane covering the stomach and intestines to assist in the digestion of food.

§4.3.1Καὶ περὶ μὲν χολῆς, διὰ τίνʼ αἰτίαν τὰ μὲν ἔχει τὰ δʼ οὐκ ἔχει τῶν ζῴων, εἴρηται, περὶ δὲ μεσεντερίου 3 καὶ ἐπιπλόου λοιπὸν εἰπεῖν· ταῦτα γὰρ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ καὶ μετὰ τῶν μορίων ἐστὶ τούτων.
As for bile, then, for what cause some animals have it and others do not, has been stated; and it remains to speak of the mesentery 3 and the omentum; for these are in this region and along with these parts.
ἔστι δὲ τὸ μὲν ἐπίπλοον ὑμὴν τοῖς μὲν στέαρ ἔχουσι στεατώδης, τοῖς δὲ πιμελὴν πιμελώδης· ποῖα δʼ ἐστὶν ἑκάτερα τούτων, εἴρηται πρότερον.
The omentum is a membrane, suety in those that have suet, and fatty in those that have lard; what each of these is, has been stated before.
§4.3.2ἢρτηται δὲ τὸ 2 ἐπίπλοον ὁμοίως τοῖς τε μονοκοιλίοις καὶ τοῖς πολυκοιλίοις ἀπὸ μέσης τῆς κοιλίας κατὰ τὴν ὑπογεγραμμένην οἷον ῥαφήν.
2 And the omentum is suspended similarly in both single-stomached and many-stomached animals from the middle of the stomach along what is marked underneath like a seam.
ἐπέχει δὲ τό τε λοιπὸν τῆς κοιλίας καὶ τὸ τῶν ἐντέρων πλῆθος ὁμοίως τοῖς ἐναίμοις, ἔν τε τοῖς πεζοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἐνύδροις ζῴοις.
And it covers the rest of the stomach and the multitude of the intestines similarly in red-blooded animals, both in land animals and in aquatic ones.
§4.3.3ἡ 3 μὲν οὖν γένεσις ἐξ ἀνάγκης συμβαίνει τοιαύτη τοῦ μορίου τούτου· ξηροῦ γὰρ καὶ ὑγροῦ μίγματος θερμαινομένου τὸ ἔσχατον ἀεὶ δερματῶδες γίνεται καὶ ὑμενῶδες, ὁ δὲ τόπος οὗτος τοιαύτης πλήρης ἐστὶ τροφῆς.
3 Now, the generation of this part happens of necessity in this way: for when a mixture of dry and wet is heated, the outermost part always becomes skin-like and membrane-like, and this region is full of such nourishment.
§4.3.4ἔτι δὲ διὰ πυκνότητα τοῦ ὑμένος τὸ διηθούμενον 4 της αἱματώδους τροφῆς ἀναγκαῖον λιπαρὸν εἶναι (τοῦτο γὰρ λεπτότατον) καὶ διὰ τὴν θερμότητα τὴν περὶ τὸν τόπον συμπεττόμενον ἀντὶ σαρκώδους καὶ αἱματώδους συστάσεως στέαρ γίνεσθαι καὶ πιμελήν.
4 Furthermore, because of the density of the membrane, that which is filtered from the bloody nourishment must of necessity be fatty (for this is the finest part), and being concocted because of the heat around the region, instead of forming a fleshy and bloody composition, it becomes suet and lard.
§4.3.5ἡ μὲν οὖν γένεσις τού ἐπιπλόου σβαίνειυμ 5 κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, καταχρῆται δʼ ἡ φύσις αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν εὐπεψίαν τῆς τροφῆς, ὅπως ῥᾷον πέττῃ καὶ θάττον τὰ ζῷα τὴν τροφήν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ θερμὸν πεπτικόν, τὸ δὲ πῖον θερμόν, τὸ δʼ ἐπίπλοον πῖον.
5 Now, the generation of the omentum happens according to this explanation, but nature makes use of it for the good digestion of nourishment, so that many animals may digest nourishment more easily and more quickly; for that which is hot promotes digestion, and the fat is hot, and the omentum is fat.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτʼ ἀπὸ μέσης ἢρτηται τῆς κοιλίας, ὅτι τὸ ἐπʼ ἐκεῖνο μέρος συμπέττει τὸ παρακείμενον ἧπαρ.
And on this account it is suspended from the middle of the stomach, because the part on that side is concocted by the adjacent liver.
καὶ περὶ μὲν τοῦ ἐπιπλόου εἴρηται.
And as for the omentum, it has been stated.

Notes

  1. §4.3.1μεσεντερίου καὶ ἐπιπλόου — Referring to the 'mesentery' and 'omentum' (or caul) respectively. The former is the membrane supporting the intestines, and the latter is the double-layered peritoneal fold rich in fat hanging from the stomach and covering the abdominal organs.
  2. §4.3.2κατὰ τὴν ὑπογεγραμμένην οἷον ῥαφήν — 'along what is marked underneath like a seam'. The participle ὑπογεγραμμένην ('drawn or marked underneath') strongly suggests that Aristotle is referring to an accompanying anatomical diagram (anatomai).
  3. §4.3.4τὸ διηθούμενον της αἱματώδους τροφῆς ἀναγκαῖον λιπαρὸν εἶναι... καὶ... γίνεσθαι... — Syntactically, the accusative and infinitive structures (λιπαρὸν εἶναι and γίνεσθαι) depend on the impersonal construction ἀναγκαῖον [ἐστί] ('it is necessary'), with 'τὸ διηθούμενον' ('that which is filtered') acting as the subject accusative. Alternatively, it can be seen as an anacoluthon where τὸ διηθούμενον is treated as a nominative subject. The former interpretation is adopted here.
  4. §4.3.5ὅτι τὸ ἐπʼ ἐκεῖνο μέρος συμπέττει τὸ παρακείμενον ἧπαρ — The subject of the verb συμπέττει ('concocts / helps digest') is the postposed noun phrase τὸ παρακείμενον ἧπαρ ('the adjacent liver'), while the object is τὸ ἐπʼ ἐκεῖνο μέρος ('the part on that side', i.e., the part of the stomach not covered by the omentum). The logic is that the liver's heat assists digestion on its side, so the omentum is suspended to cover the remaining middle and opposite parts.

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Parts of Animals §4.3.1-4.3.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg030.humanitext-grc1:4.3.1-4.3.5

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.