§34.8Διὰ τί, ἐὰν σφόδρα καὶ ἀθρόον ἐκπνεύσωσιν, ἀδυνατοῦσι πάλιν ἐκπνεῦσαι;
Why is it that, if people exhale violently and all at once, they are unable to exhale again?
ὁμοίως δὲ ἔχει καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀναπνεῦσαι· ἀδυνατοῦσι γὰρ δὶς ἐφεξῆς ποιεῖν αὐτὸ.
It is the same also with regard to inhaling; for they are unable to do it twice in succession.
ἢ ὅτι τὸ μὲν δίωσίς τίς ἐστι, τὸ δὲ συναγωγὴ τόπου· ἃ ἄχρι τινός ἐστι δυνατὰ γίνεσθαι.
Is it because the one is a kind of pushing out, and the other a contraction of space, which are possible to happen only up to a certain point?
φανερὸν οὖν ὅτι ἐναλλὰξ ἀνάγκη ἄμφω γίνεσθαι, καὶ ἀδύνατον δὶς ἐφεξῆς.
It is clear, therefore, that both must necessarily happen alternately, and it is impossible to do either twice in succession.
§34.9Διὰ τί ἑτέρου τόπου ὄντος ᾗ τὰ σῖτα καὶ τὸ ποτὸν διεξέρχεται καὶ ᾗ ἀναπνέομεν, ἐὰν μείζω ψωμὸν καταπίωμεν, πνιγόμεθα;
Why is it that, although the place through which food and drink pass is different from that through which we breathe, if we swallow too large a morsel, we choke?
οὐδὲν δὴ ἄτοπον· οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐάν τι ἐμπέσῃ εἰς τὸν τόπον τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἔτι φραχθῇ, οὕτως μᾶλλον πνιγόμεθα.
Indeed, it is not at all strange; for we choke thus all the more not only if something falls into this place, but even if it is further obstructed.
ταῦτα δὲ παράλληλά ἐστιν, καθ’ ὅ τε τὰ σιτία δεχόμεθα καὶ καθ’ ὃ ἀναπνέομεν.
For these pathways, namely the one by which we receive food and the one by which we breathe, run parallel to each other.
ὅταν οὖν ἐμπέσῃ μείζων ψωμός, καὶ ἡ ἀναπνοὴ συμφράττει, ὥστε μὴ εἶναι τῷ πνεύματι ἔξοδον.
Therefore, when a larger morsel falls in, it also obstructs the breathing passage, so that there is no exit for the breath.
§34.10Διὰ τί, ὅσοι τὴν διὰ χειρὸς τομὴν ἔχουσι δι’ ὅλης, μακροβιώτατοι;
Why are those who have a line running all the way through their hand the longest-lived?
ἢ διότι τὰ ἄναρθρα βραχύβια καὶ ἀσθενῆ;
Is it because things that are unarticulated are short-lived and weak?
σημεῖον δὲ τῆς μὲν ἀσθενείας τὰ νέα, τῆς δὲ βραχυβιότητος τὰ ἔνυγρα.
A sign of weakness is youth, and of shortness of life is being watery.
δῆλον ἄρα ὅτι τὰ ἠρθρωμένα τοὐναντίον.
It is clear, then, that articulated things are the opposite.
τοιαῦτα δέ, ὧν καὶ τὰ φύσει ἄναρθρα μάλιστα ἤρθρωται.
And such things are those in which even what is naturally unarticulated is most articulated.
τῆς δὲ χειρὸς τὸ ἔσω ἀναρθρότατον.
And the inner part of the hand is the most unarticulated of all.
§34.11Διὰ τί ἐν τῷ μακρὸν ἀναπνεῖν ἑλκόντων μὲν εἴσω τὸ πνεῦμα συμπίπτει ἡ κοιλία, ἐκπνεόντων δὲ πληροῦται;
Why is it that in deep breathing, when they draw in the breath, the belly collapses, but when they exhale, it is filled?
πιθανὸν δ’ ἐστὶ τοὐναντίον συμβαίνειν.
Yet the opposite would reasonably be expected to happen.
ἢ ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἀναπνεόντων συμπιεζουμένη ταῖς πλευραῖς κάτω, καθάπερ αἱ φῦσαι, προσογκεῖν φαίνεται;
Is it because, in those who are breathing in, the belly being compressed downwards by the ribs, like bellows, appears to swell?
§34.12Διὰ τί ἀναπνέομεν;
Why do we breathe?
ἢ καθάπερ τὸ ὑγρὸν εἰς πνεῦμα διαλύεται, οὕτως καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα εἰς τὸ πῦρ;
Is it because, just as moisture is dissolved into air, so also air is dissolved into fire?
τὸ τῆς φύσεως οὖν θερμὸν ὅταν τὸ πολὺ τοῦ πνεύματος πῦρ ποιήσῃ, ἀλγηδόνα ἐμποιεῖ, τοῖς δὲ πόροις καὶ ὄγκον·
Therefore, when the natural heat makes the greater part of the air into fire, it produces pain, and also swelling in the passages.
διόπερ ἐξωθοῦμεν τὸ πῦρ, συμπιπτόντων τῶν πόρων καὶ καταψυχομένων ἀλγηδόνες γίνονται·
For this reason we push out the fire; but when the passages collapse and are cooled, pains arise.
ἕλκομεν οὖν τὸ πνεῦμα πάλιν.
Therefore we draw in the air again.
εἶτα ἀνοίξαντες τοῦ σώματος τοὺς πόρους καὶ βοηθήσαντες, πάλιν γίνεται τὸ πῦρ, καὶ πάλιν ἀλγοῦντες ἐκπέμπομεν, καὶ διὰ τέλους τοῦτο πράττομεν, καθάπερ καὶ σκαρδαμύσσομεν κατὰ τὸ καταψύχεσθαι τὸ περὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν σῶμα καὶ ξηραίνεσθαι.
Then, having opened the passages of the body and assisted them, the fire is produced again, and feeling pain again we send it out, and we do this continually, just as we also blink as the body around the eye is cooled and dried.
καὶ βαδίζομεν οὖν προσέχοντες τῇ βαδίσει τὸν νοῦν, κυβερνωμένης δὲ τῆς διανοίας αὐτοῖς. . . .
And so we walk, paying attention in our mind to our walking, and while our intellect governs them...
τοῦτον οὖν τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν ἀναπνοὴν ποιοῦμεν· μηχανώμενοι γὰρ τὸν ἀέρα ἕλκειν ἀναπνέομεν, καὶ πάλιν ἕλκομεν.
In this manner, therefore, we also perform the actions concerning breathing; for, contriving to draw in the air, we breathe, and draw it in again.