§7Λέγει δὲ περὶ ἀναπνοῆς καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς, οὐ μέντοι τίνος γ’ ἕνεκα, οὐδὲ περὶ πάντων τῶν ζῴων οὐδὲν ποιεῖ δῆλον, εἴτε ἀναπνέουσιν εἴτε μή.
Empedocles also speaks about respiration, not however for the sake of what it occurs, nor does he make anything clear concerning all animals, whether they respire or not.
Καὶ περὶ τῆς διὰ τῶν μυκτήρων ἀναπνοῆς λέγων οἴεται καὶ περὶ τῆς κυρίας λέγειν ἀναπνοῆς.
And speaking about respiration through the nostrils, he thinks he is also speaking about the sovereign respiration.
Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀρτηρίας ἐκ τῶν στηθῶν ἡ ἀναπνοή, καὶ ἡ διὰ τῶν μυκτήρων· αὐτοῖς δὲ χωρὶς ἐκείνης οὐκ ἔστιν ἀναπνεῦσαι τοῖς μυκτῆρσιν.
For respiration is both through the windpipe from the chest and through the nostrils; but it is not possible for animals to respire with the nostrils alone apart from the former.
Καὶ τῆς μὲν διὰ τῶν μυκτήρων γινομένης ἀναπνοῆς στερισκόμενα τὰ ζῷα οὐδὲν πάσχουσι, τῆς δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀρτηρίαν ἀποθνήσκουσιν.
And when deprived of the respiration that occurs through the nostrils, animals suffer no harm, but they die when deprived of that along the windpipe.
Καταχρῆται γὰρ ἡ φύσις ἐν παρέργῳ τῇ διὰ τῶν μυκτήρων ἀναπνοῇ πρὸς τὴν ὄσφρησιν ἐν ἐνίοις τῶν ζῴων· διόπερ ὀσφρήσεως μὲν σχεδὸν μετέχει πάντα τὰ ζῷα, ἔστι δ’ οὐ πᾶσι τὸ αὐτὸ αἰσθητήριον.
For nature uses the respiration through the nostrils as a side-benefit for the sense of smell in some animals; wherefore almost all animals share in the sense of smell, but they do not all have the same sense organ.
Εἴρηται δὲ περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν ἑτέροις σαφέστερον.
But these things have been spoken of more clearly in other writings.
Γίνεσθαι δέ φησι τὴν ἀναπνοὴν καὶ ἐκπνοὴν διὰ τὸ φλέβας εἶναί τινας, ἐν αἷς ἔνεστι μὲν αἷμα, οὐ μέντοι πλήρεις εἰσὶν αἵματος, ἔχουσι δὲ πόρους εἰς τὸν ἔξω ἀέρα, τῶν μὲν τοῦ σώματος μορίων ἐλάττους, τῶν δὲ τοῦ ἀέρος μείζους· διὸ τοῦ αἵματος πεφυκότος κινεῖσθαι ἄνω καὶ κάτω, κάτω μὲν φερομένου εἰσρεῖν τὸν ἀέρα καὶ γίνεσθαι ἀναπνοήν, ἄνω δ’ ἰόντος ἐκπίπτειν θύραζε καὶ γίνεσθαι τὴν ἐκπνοήν, παρεικάζων τὸ συμβαῖνον ταῖς κλεψύδραις.
And he says that respiration and exhalation occur because there are certain vessels in which there is blood, but they are not full of blood, and they have pores to the outer air, smaller than the parts of the body, but larger than those of the air; therefore, since the blood is naturally adapted to move up and down, when it is carried down the air flows in and respiration occurs, and when it goes up the air falls out of doors and exhalation occurs, comparing what happens to clepsydras.
Ὧδε δ’ ἀναπνεῖ πάντα καὶ ἐκπνεῖ.
"Thus do all things draw in breath and breathe it out.
Πᾶσι λίφαιμοι
σαρκῶν σύριγγες πύματον κατὰ σῶμα τέτανται,
καί σφιν ἐπὶ στομίοις πυκναῖς τέτρηνται ἄλοξιν
ῥινῶν ἔσχατα τέρθρα διαμπερές, ὥστε φόνον μέν
κεύθειν, αἰθέρι δ’ εὐπορίην διόδοισι τετμῆσθαι.
For all have bloodless tubes of flesh stretched to the outermost part of the body, and at the mouths of these, at the extreme limits of the nostrils, they are pierced through and through with dense furrows, so as to hide the blood but to have a path cut for the air to pass through easily.
Ἔνθεν ἔπειθ’ ὁπόταν μὲν ἀπαΐξῃ τέρεν αἷμα,
αἰθὴρ παφλάζων καταβήσεται οἴδματι μάργῳ,
εὖτε δ’ ἀναθρώσκει, πάλιν ἐκπνεῖ, ὥσ περ ὅταν παῖς
κλεψύδρην παίζησι δι’ εὐπετέος χαλκοῖο.
Thence, when the smooth blood rushes away from there, the bubbling air descends with a raging swell, but when the blood leaps up, it breathes it out again, just as when a girl plays with a clepsydra of shapely bronze.
Εὖτε μὲν αὐλοῦ πορθμὸν ἐπ’ εὐειδεῖ χερὶ θεῖσα
εἰς ὕδατος βάπτῃσι τέρεν δέμας ἀργυφέοιο,
οὐδ’ ὅγ’ ἐς ἄγγος δ’ ὄμβρος ἐσέρχεται, ἀλλά μιν εἴργει
ἀέρος ὄγκος ἔσωθε πεσὼν ἐπὶ τρήματα πυκνά,
εἰσόκ’ ἀποστεγάσῃ πυνικὸν ῥόον· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
πνεύματος ἐλλείποντος ἐσέρχεται αὔξιμον ὕδωρ.
When she, putting the passage of the pipe upon her fair hand, dips the smooth body of the silver-white water, no water enters into the vessel, but it is kept back by the bulk of the air within pressing upon the dense holes, until she uncovers the dense stream; but then, as the breath leaves, the abundant water enters.
Ὡς δ’ αὕτως ὅθ’ ὕδωρ μὲν ἔχει κατὰ βένθεα χαλκοῦ
πορθμοῦ χωσθέντος βροτέῳ χροῒ ἠδὲ πόροιο,
αἰθὴρ δ’ ἐκτὸς ἔσω λελιημένος ὄμβρον ἐρύκει
ἀμφὶ πύλας ἰσθμοῖο δυσηχέος, ἄκρα κρατύνων,
εἰσόκε χειρὶ μεθῇ· τότε δ’ αὖ πάλιν, ἔμπαλιν ἢ πρίν,
πνεύματος ἐμπίπτοντος ὑπεκθέει αὔξιμον ὕδωρ.
And in the same way, when water holds the depths of the bronze vessel, the passage and the pore being blocked by mortal skin, the air outside, eager to get within, keeps back the water around the gates of the ill-sounding neck, mastering the extremities, until she lets go with her hand; then again, contrary to before, as the breath falls in, the abundant water runs out.
Ὡς δ’ αὕτως τέρεν αἷμα κλαδασσόμενον διὰ γυίων
ὁππότε μὲν παλίνορσον ἐπαΐξειε μυχόνδε,
αἰθέρος εὐθὺς ῥεῦμα κατέρχεται οἴδματι θῦον,
εὖτε δ’ ἀναθρώσκῃ, πάλιν ἐκπνεῖ ἶσον ὀπίσσω. Λέγει μὲν οὖν ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ ἀναπνεῖν, ἀναπνεῖ δ’, ὥσπερ εἴπομεν, τὰ φανερῶς ἀναπνέοντα διὰ τῆς ἀρτηρίας, διά τε τοῦ στόματος ἅμα καὶ διὰ τῶν μυκτήρων.
And in the same way, when the smooth blood, surging through the limbs, rushes backward to the inner recess, straightway a stream of air comes down, raging with a swell, but when the blood leaps up, it breathes it out again in equal measure." He, then, says these things about respiring; but, as we said, those animals that manifestly respire do so through the windpipe, both through the mouth and through the nostrils at the same time.
Ὥστ’ εἰ μὲν περὶ ταύτης λέγει τῆς ἀναπνοῆς, ἀναγκαῖον ζητεῖν πῶς ἐφαρμόσει ὁ εἰρημένος λόγος τῆς αἰτίας· φαίνεται γὰρ τοὐναντίον συμβαῖνον.
Consequently, if he is speaking about this respiration, it is necessary to inquire how the stated account of the cause will fit; for the contrary appears to happen.
Ἄραντες μὲν γὰρ τὸν τόπον, καθάπερ τὰς φύσας ἐν τοῖς χαλκείοις, ἀναπνέουσιν· αἴρειν δὲ τὸ θερμὸν εὔλογον, ἔχειν δὲ τὸ αἷμα τὴν τοῦ θερμοῦ χώραν· συνιζάνοντες δὲ καὶ καταπνίγοντες, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ τὰς φύσας, ἐκπνέουσιν.
For by raising the region, like the bellows in smithies, they respire; and it is reasonable for heat to raise it, and for the blood to occupy the place of the heat; but by collapsing and compressing, like the bellows there, they exhale.
Πλὴν ἐκεῖ μὲν οὐ κατὰ ταὐτὸν εἰσδέχονταί τε τὸν ἀέρα καὶ πάλιν ἐξιᾶσιν, οἱ δ’ ἀναπνέοντες κατὰ ταὐτόν.
Except that in the bellows they do not receive the air and let it out again by the same way, but those that respire do so by the same way.
Εἰ δὲ περὶ τῆς κατὰ τοὺς μυκτῆρας λέγει μόνης, πολὺ διημάρτηκεν· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀναπνοὴ μυκτήρων ἴδιος, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸν αὐλῶνα τὸν περὶ τὸν γαργαρεῶνα, ᾗ τὸ ἔσχατον τοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματι οὐρανοῦ, συντετρημένων τῶν μυκτήρων χωρεῖ τὸ μὲν ταύτῃ τοῦ πνεύματος, τὸ δὲ διὰ τοῦ στόματος, ὁμοίως εἰσιόν τε καὶ ἐξιόν.
But if he is speaking only about the respiration through the nostrils, he has erred greatly; for there is no respiration peculiar to the nostrils, but through the passage around the uvula, where the extremity of the palate in the mouth is, the nostrils being pierced together, some of the breath goes this way and some through the mouth, entering and leaving in like manner.
Τὰ μὲν οὖν παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων εἰρημένα περὶ τοῦ ἀναπνεῖν τοιαύτας καὶ τοσαύτας ἔχει δυσχερείας.
The things, therefore, said by the others concerning respiration have such and so great difficulties.