§10.16Διὰ τί τὰ ἄλλα ζῷα τὰ μὲν οὐκ ἐξονειρώττει, τὰ δὲ ὀλιγάκις;
Why do some of the other animals not have wet dreams, while others do so only rarely?
πότερον ὅτι οὐδὲν ὕπτιον κατάκειται, ἐξονειρώττει δὲ οὐδὲν μὴ ὕπτιον;
Is it because none of them lie on their backs, and none that do not lie on their backs have wet dreams?
ἢ ὅτι οὐκ ἐνυπνιάζει τὰ ἄλλα ὁμοίως, ὁ δὲ ἐξονειρωγμὸς μετὰ φαντασίας γίνεται.
Or is it because the other animals do not dream in the same way, and emission in sleep occurs with imagination?
§10.17Διὰ τί τῶν ζῴων τὰ μὲν κινεῖ τὴν κεφαλήν, τὰ δὲ οὐ κινεῖ;
Why is it that among animals, some move their heads, while others do not?
ἢ ὅτι ἔνια οὐκ ἔχει αὐχένα;
Is it because some do not have a neck?
διὸ ταῦτα οὐ κινεῖ τὴν κεφαλήν.
For this reason they do not move their heads.
§10.18Διὰ τί ἄνθρωπος πτάρνυται τῶν ζῴων μάλιστα;
Why does man sneeze more than any other animal?
πότερον ὅτι τοὺς πόρους εὐρεῖς ἔχει δἰ ὧν τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ὀσμὴ εἰσέρχεται;
Is it because he has wide passages through which the breath and odor enter?
τούτοις γὰρ πληρουμένοις πνεύματος πτάρνυται.
For when these are filled with breath, one sneezes.
ὅτι δὲ εὐρεῖς, σημεῖον ὅτι ἥκιστα ὀσφραντικὸν τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων· ἀκριβέστεροι δὲ οἱ λεπτότεροι.
And that they are wide is shown by the fact that man has the least sense of smell among other animals; for narrower passages are more accurate.
εἰ οὖν εἰς μὲν τοὺς εὐρεῖς πλέον καὶ πλεονάκις εἰσέρχεται τὸ ὑγρόν, οὗ πνευματουμένου ὁ πταρμὸς γίνεται, τοιούτους δὲ μάλιστα τῶν ζῴων οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἔχουσι, πλειστάκις ἂν πτάρνοιντο εἰκότως.
If, therefore, moisture enters wide passages in greater quantity and more frequently, and when this moisture becomes wind, sneezing occurs, and men have such passages most of all animals, they would naturally sneeze most frequently.
ἢ ὅτι ἐλάχιστοι κατὰ τὸ μῆκος οἱ μυκτῆρες, ὥστε τὸ θερμανθὲν ὑγρὸν ταχὺ δύναται πνεῦμα γίνεσθαι.
Or is it because his nostrils are shortest in length, so that the heated moisture can quickly become wind?
ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις διὰ μῆκος καταψύχεται πρότερον.
Whereas in other animals, because of the length, it is cooled down beforehand.
§10.19Διὰ τί ἡ γλῶττα οὐδενὸς πιερὰ τῶν ζῴων;
Why is the tongue of no animal fatty?
ἢ ὅτι τὸ πῖον πυκνόν, ἡ δὲ γλῶττα ἀραιὰ φύσει ἐστίν, ὅπως τοὺς χυμοὺς γνωρίζῃ;
Is it because fat is dense, whereas the tongue is by nature porous, so that it may perceive flavors?
§10.20Διὰ τί τὰ θήλεα συντάσει οὐρεῖ, τὰ δὲ ἄρρενα οὔ;
Why do females urinate with straining, while males do not?
ἢ ὅτι πορρώτερόν ἐστιν ἡ κύστις ἡ τῶν θηλειῶν, καὶ εἰς βάθος καὶ μῆκος;
Is it because the bladder of females is further away, both in depth and in length?
μεταξὺ γὰρ αὐτῶν ἡ μήτρα τῆς ἕδρας καὶ τῆς κύστεως.
For in them the womb is between the anus and the bladder.
ὥστε δεῖται βίας πλείονος τὸ ἐκπεμπόμενον διά γε τὴν ἀπόστασιν τῆς μήτρας.
So that what is discharged needs more force, precisely because of the distance caused by the womb.
βιάζεται δὲ συντεῖνον τῷ πνεύματι.
And it forces it out by straining with the breath.
§10.21Διὰ τί τῶν ζῴων ὅσα μὴ πέτεται, πάντα ἀποβάλλει τὰς χειμερινὰς τρίχας, πλὴν ὑός;
Why do all animals that do not fly shed their winter hair, except the pig?
καὶ γὰρ κύων ἀποβάλλει καὶ βοῦς.
For indeed the dog sheds its hair, and so does the ox.
ἢ ὅτι θερμότατον ἡ ὗς ἐστίν καὶ ἐκ θερμοῦ πεφύκασιν αἱ τρίχες αὐτῇ;
Is it because the pig is extremely warm, and its hair grows from a warm source?
τοιοῦτον γάρ ἐστι τὸ λιπαρόν.
For such is the nature of fat.
τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων ἢ διὰ τὸ ἀποψύχεσθαι τὸ ὑγρὸν ἀποπίπτουσιν, ἢ πέττειν τροφὴν οὐ δυναμένης τῆς οἰκείας θερμότητος, ἢ διὰ τὸ μηδὲν πάσχειν τὴν ὑγρότητα τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ, διὰ τὸ πέττεσθαι καλῶς τὴν τροφήν, οὐκ ἀποβάλλει τὰς τρίχας.
Now, while in other animals the hair falls out either because the moisture is cooled, or because their innate heat is unable to digest the nourishment, in the pig, because the nourishment is well digested, the moisture within it suffers nothing, and so it does not shed its hair.
ὁπότε γὰρ ἡ αἰτία τῆς ἀποβολῆς ἐστίν, ἱκανὴ ἡ πιότης κωλῦσαι.
For whatever the cause of shedding may be, its fatness is sufficient to prevent it.
πρόβατα δὲ καὶ ἄνθρωποι διὰ πλῆθος καὶ πυκνότητα τῆς τριχὸς ἀπαθῆ ἐστίν. οὐ γὰρ διικνεῖται ἡ ψύξις εἰς βάθος, ὥστε πῆξαι τὴν ὑγρότητα ἢ πέψαι κωλῦσαι τὴν θερμότητα.
On the other hand, sheep and men are unaffected because of the abundance and density of their hair; for the cold does not penetrate into the depth so as to freeze the moisture or prevent the heat from digesting it.
§10.22Διὰ τί τῶν μὲν προβάτων μαλακώτεραι αἱ τρίχες ἀναφύονται τιλλόμεναι, τῶν δὲ ἀνθρώπων σκληρότεραι;
Why is it that when the wool of sheep is plucked, softer wool grows in its place, whereas when human hair is plucked, harder hair grows?
ἢ ὅτι τῶν μὲν προβάτων ἐκ τοῦ ἐπιπολῆς πεφύκασιν;
Is it because the wool of sheep grows from the surface?
διὸ καὶ ἀλύπως ἐκσπῶνται, μενούσης τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς τροφῆς ἀδιαφθόρου, ἥ ἐστιν ἐν σαρκί.
For this reason it is pulled out without pain, leaving the source of nourishment undamaged, which is in the flesh.
τὰ μὲν οὖν περιττώματα ἀνοιχθέντων ἐξατμίζει μᾶλλον, τὸ δὲ ἔριον σαρκὸς οἰκείαν τροφὴν λαμβάνει· σὰρξ δὲ μαλακοῖς καὶ γλυκέσι τρέφεται.
Therefore, when the pores are opened, the residues evaporate more, and the wool receives its proper nourishment from the flesh; and flesh is nourished by soft and sweet elements.
αἱ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τρίχες ἐκ βάθους πεφυκυῖαι βίᾳ καὶ μετ’ ἀλγηδόνος ἐκσπῶνται.
On the other hand, human hair grows from a deep source and is pulled out with force and pain.
δῆλον δέ· ἐπισπῶνται γὰρ αἷμα.
This is clear, since they draw blood with them.
τραυματιζομένου οὖν τοῦ τόπου συμβαίνει αὐτὸν καὶ οὐλοῦσθαι.
Consequently, because the place is wounded, it happens to scar over.
διὸ τέλος μὲν συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι τοῖς τιλλομένοις· ἕως δ’ ἂν ἀνίωσι τρίχες, σκληρὰς ἀνιέναι διὰ τὸ τὴν μὲν τροφώδη τῆς σαρκὸς ἐκλελοιπέναι πᾶσαν τροφήν, ἐκ περιττωμάτων δ’ αὐτὰς γίνεσθαι.
Therefore, though in the end it happens to those who are plucked that no hair grows, as long as hair does grow, it grows back hard, because all the nutritious nourishment of the flesh has failed, and the hair is formed from residues.
σημεῖον δέ· τῶν μὲν γὰρ πρὸς μεσημβρίαν πάντων σκληραί εἰσιν αἱ τρίχες διὰ τὸ τὸ ἐκτὸς θερμὸν εἰς βάθος διικνούμενον ἐξατμίζειν τὴν εὔπεπτον τροφήν, τῶν δὲ ὑπὸ τὰς ἄρκτους μαλακαί·
And this is proven by the fact that all those who live toward the south have hard hair, because the external heat, penetrating to the depth, evaporates the easily digested nourishment; whereas those under the north have soft hair.
τούτοις γὰρ ἐπιπολῆς μᾶλλόν ἐστιν τό θ’ αἷμα καὶ οἱ γλυκεῖς χυμοί· διὸ καὶ εὔχροοί εἰσιν.
For in these people, both the blood and the sweet juices are more on the surface; for which reason they also have a good complexion.