§10.53Διὰ τί ποτε τοῦ μὲν ἀνθρώπου τὰ ἔμπροσθεν δασύτερα τῶν ὄπισθέν ἐστι, τῶν δὲ τετραπόδων τὰ ὄπισθεν;
Why on earth is it that in man the front parts are hairier than the back parts, but in quadrupeds the back parts [are hairier than the front parts]?
ἢ ὅτι πάντα τὰ δίποδα τὰ ἔμπροσθεν ἔχει δασύτερα;
Is it because all bipeds have their front parts hairier?
οἱ γὰρ ὄρνιθες τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἔχουσιν.
For birds are in the same state as human beings.
ἢ τὰ ἀσθενέστερα μᾶλλον ἀεὶ σκεπάζειν ἡ φύσις εἴωθεν, ἀσθενὲς δὲ ἕκαστόν ἐστί τινα τρόπον.
Or is it because nature is always accustomed to cover the weaker parts, and each part is weak in some way?
τῶν δὲ τετραπόδων ἁπάντων τὰ ὄπισθεν ἀσθενέστερά ἐστι τῶν ἔμπροσθεν διὰ τὸν τόπον· ὑπὸ γὰρ τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ καυμάτων μᾶλλον δυνατά ἐστι πάσχειν·
For in all quadrupeds, the back parts are weaker than the front parts because of their position; for they are more capable of suffering from cold and heat.
τῶν δὲ ἀνθρώπων τὰ ἔμπροσθεν ἀσθενέστερά ἐστι καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πέπονθεν.
And in human beings, the front parts are weaker and undergo the same thing.
§10.54Διὰ τί ἄνθρωπος μάλιστα τῶν ζῴων πτάρνυται;
Why is it that man sneezes most of all animals?
ἢ ὅτι καὶ κορυζᾷ μάλιστα;
Is it because he also suffers from catarrh most of all?
τούτου δ’ αἴτιόν ἐστιν ὅτι τοῦ θερμοῦ ὄντος περὶ τὴν καρδίαν καὶ πεφυκότος ἄνω φέρεσθαι τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ζῴοις ἡ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῦ φορά ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους, ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἐξ ἀνακλάσεως σχιζόμενον τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν φέρεται αὐτοῦ, τὸ δὲ εἰς τὴν ῥάχιν καὶ τὴν ὀσφύν, διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς εὐθείας εἶναι πάντα ταῦτα καὶ παρὰ τὴν βάσιν.
The cause of this is that, while heat is around the heart and is of a nature to be carried upward, in other animals its natural course is toward the shoulders, and from there, dividing by reflection, part of it is carried to the neck and head, and part to the spine and loins, because all these are in the same straight line and parallel to the base.
φερόμενον δὲ ὁμοίως τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὰ ὑγρὰ μερίζει εἰς αὐτὰ ὁμαλῶς· ἕπεται γὰρ τὰ ὑγρὰ τῷ θερμῷ.
And as it is carried in like manner, the body distributes the fluids evenly into them; for fluids follow heat.
διὸ οὐδὲ πάνυ κορυζᾷ τὰ τετράποδα ζῷα, οὐδὲ πτάρνυται· ὁ γὰρ πταρμὸς ἢ πνεύματος ἀθρόου φορά ἐστιν, ὑγρῶν ἐξατμιζόντων τι μᾶλλον τοῦ σώματος, ἢ ὑγρῶν ἀπέπτων.
Therefore, quadrupeds neither suffer much from catarrh, nor do they sneeze; for a sneeze is either a rush of accumulated breath, when fluids evaporate somewhat more from the body, or a rush of undigested fluids.
διὸ πρὸ τῶν κατάρρων γίνεται, ἅ οὐ συμβαίνει τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις, διὰ τὸ τὴν τοῦ θερμοῦ φορὰν ὁμαλίζειν ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν.
Therefore, it occurs before catarrhs, which does not happen to other animals because the flow of heat is equalized in them toward the front and the back.
τοῦ τε ἀνθρώπου πρὸς ὀρθῇ πεφυκότος τῇ βάσει, καθάπερ τὰ φυτά, συμβαίνει τοῦ θερμοῦ φορὰν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν γίνεσθαι πλείστην καὶ σφοδροτάτην.
And since man is of a nature to stand erect to his base, like plants, it happens that the flow of heat to his head is greatest and most violent.
φερόμενόν τε ἐνταῦθα ἀραιοῖ καὶ θερμαίνει τοὺς περὶ αὐτὴν πόρους.
And being carried there, it dilates and warms the pores around it.
ὄντες δὲ τοιοῦτοι δεκτικοὶ γίνονται τῶν ὑγρῶν μᾶλλον ἢ οἱ κάτω τῆς καρδίας πόροι.
These, being in such a state, become more receptive to fluids than the pores below the heart.
ὅταν οὖν συμβῇ ἐξυγρασθῆναι μᾶλλον τοῦ δέοντος καὶ καταψυγῆναι, ἔξωθεν συμβαίνει τὸ θερμόν, τροφήν τε ἔχον καὶ συστελλόμενον ἐντός, αὔξεσθαι, αὐξανόμενον δὲ φέρεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ πόρους· εἰς οὓς ἀκολουθοῦντα τὰ ὑγρά, ὄντα λεπτὰ καὶ ἄπεπτα, πληροῖ αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς κατάρρους ποιεῖ, καὶ πταρμοὺς ὁμοίως.
So when it happens that the head is moistened more than is fitting and cooled from without, the heat, having nourishment and being pent up inside, increases, and as it increases, it is carried to the head and the pores in it; and the fluids, being thin and undigested, following into these pores, fill them and cause catarrhs, and likewise sneezes.
ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἀρχαῖς τῶν κατάρρων τὸ θερμὸν προαναφερόμενον τοῦ ὑγροῦ, καὶ πνευματοῦν τοὺς πόρους, τῇ τ’ ἐκβολῇ τοῦ πνεύματος τοὺς πταρμοὺς ποιεῖ καὶ τῇ πρὸ τῶν ὑγρῶν ἀναγωγῇ, ἅ ἐστι λεπτὰ καὶ δριμέα.
For at the beginning of catarrhs, the heat rising before the fluid and filling the pores with air, causes sneezes by the expulsion of the air and by the rising of the fluids beforehand, which are thin and acrid.
διὸ καὶ συμβαίνει μετὰ τῶν τῆς κορύζης πταρμῶν ὑδατώδη ἀπομύττεσθαι.
And that is why it happens that together with the sneezes of catarrh, watery mucus is discharged from the nose.
πάντων δὲ τούτων ὁρμησάντων τὰ συνεχῆ καὶ πάθος ἔχοντα ὑγρὰ ἐφίσταται αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐμφράττει τοὺς περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὴν ῥῖνα πόρους· ὀγκηρότερα γὰρ γινόμενα καὶ διατείνοντα ποιεῖ τοὺς περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν πόνους.
But when all these have rushed forth, the continuous and affected fluids settle behind them and block the pores around the head and nose; for becoming more swollen and stretching them, they cause pains around the head.
σημεῖον δὲ τὸ μήτ’ ἐκτὸς ἢ δι’ αὐτῶν πνεῦμα ἀφεῖσθαι.
And a sign of this is that no breath is discharged either from without or through them.
διὸ οὔτε πτάρνυνται οὔτε ὀσφραίνονται οἱ κορυζῶντες.
Therefore, those suffering from catarrh neither sneeze nor have a sense of smell.
οἱ δὲ ἄνευ κορύζης γινόμενοι διὰ μὲν τὰς αὐτὰς αἰτίας γίνονται, μικρὰς δὲ καὶ ἐλαφρὰς ἀρχὰς λαβόντες.
On the other hand, those [sneezes] that occur without catarrh arise from the same causes, but take small and light beginnings.
ὥστε συναχθέντα τὰ ὑγρὰ τῷ θερμῷ, ἐκπνευματούμενα ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ δι’ ὀλιγότητα, εἰσπίπτει κατὰ τὰς ῥῖνας.
Consequently, the fluids, being gathered together with the heat, are turned into breath by it because of their small quantity, and fall violently through the nostrils.
ποιεῖ δὲ τὸν ψόφον τοῦ πνεύματος οὐχ ἧττον ἡ βία τῆς φορᾶς ἢ τὸ πλῆθος αὐτοῦ.
And the noise of the breath is caused no less by the violence of the flow than by its quantity.
ἐνεχθέντος γὰρ τοῦ θερμοῦ πρὸς ὀρθὴν πρὸς τὸν ἐγκέφαλον καὶ προσπεσόντος αὐτῷ, ἀνακλᾶται ἐπὶ τὰς ῥῖνας διὰ τὸ τοὺς ταύτῃ πόρους ἐκτὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐγκεφάλου διατείνειν.
For when the heat is carried perpendicularly to the brain and strikes against it, it is reflected to the nostrils, because the pores there extend outward from the brain.
παρὰ φύσιν οὖν τῆς ἐκ τῆς κλάσεως φορᾶς γινομένης ἐπὶ τὰς ῥῖνας τῷ πνεύματι, σφοδρὰν συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι· διὸ ποιεῖ τοὺς ψόφους.
Since, therefore, the flow of the breath to the nostrils from the reflection takes place contrary to nature, it happens to be violent; wherefore it makes the noises.
τῶν δὲ ἄλλων ζῴων συμβαίνει μάλιστα κορυζᾶν τοὺς ὄρνιθας διὰ τὸ μάλιστα ὁμοιόσχημον εἶναι ἀνθρώπῳ· ἧττον δὲ ἢ ἄνθρωπος πάσχει αὐτό, ὅτι τὰ πολλὰ κάτω ἔχει τὴν κεφαλὴν διὰ τὸ τὴν νομὴν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς εἶναι.
And of other animals, it happens that birds suffer most from catarrh because they are most similar in shape to man; but they suffer from it less than man, because they have their heads down most of the time because their feeding is from the earth.