§6Πότερον δὲ τὸ σπέρμα διὰ τῆς ἀρτηρίας ὡς καὶ συνθλιβόμενον, 6 καὶ ἐν τῇ προέσει μόνον;
Or is the semen carried through the artery, as being compressed too, and only at the time of discharge?
ἐν οἷς δὴ φαίνεται καὶ ἡ ἐξ αἵματος μεταβολὴ τῷ τὰ νεῦρα ἀπὸ τῶν ὀστῶν τρέφεσθαι· καθάπτει γὰρ αὐτά.
In these indeed, the change from blood also appears, because the tendons are nourished by the bones; for [the bones] bind them.
ἢ οὐδὲ τοῦτʼ ἀληθές·
Or is not even this true?
καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ νεῦρον, καὶ νεῦρα δὲ ἐκ τῶν ὀστῶν ἠρτημένα.
For there is a tendon in the heart too, and tendons are suspended from the bones.
οὐ συνάπτει δὲ ἐν ἑτέρῳ, ἀλλʼ εἰς σάρκα ἀποτελευτᾷ.
But [some of them] do not connect with another, but end in flesh.
ἢ τοῦτό γʼ οὐθέν·
Or is this of no consequence?
εἴη γὰρ ἂν οὐθὲν ἧττον ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀστοῦ ἡ τροφή.
For the nourishment might none the less come from the bone.
αὐτοῖς δʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ νεύρου τοῖς ὀστοῖς μᾶλλον τὴν τροφήν.
Or rather, is the nourishment for the bones themselves from the tendon?
ἄτοπον γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο.
For this too is absurd.
ξηρὸν γὰρ φύσει καὶ οὐκ ἔχον πόρους ὑγρούς· ἡ τροφὴ δʼ ὑγρόν.
For [bone] is by nature dry and has no moist passages, while nourishment is moist.
σκεπτέον δὲ πρότερον, εἴπερ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀστῶν, τίς ἡ τοῦ ὀστοῦ τροφή, ἢ φέρουσι πόροι καὶ ἐκ τῆς φλεβὸς καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀρτηρίας εἰς αὐτό.
But we must first consider, if indeed [nourishment comes] from the bones, what is the nourishment of the bone, or do passages from both the vein and the artery carry it into the bone itself?
καὶ ἐν πολλοῖς μὲν εὔδηλοι, μάλιστα δʼ εἰς τὴν ῥάχιν.
And in many [bones] they are very clear, and especially in the spine.
τὰς δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀστῶν γίνεσθαι συνεχεῖς, ὥσπερ ταῖς πλευραῖς·
And they become continuous from the bones, just as in the ribs.
τούτους δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς κοιλίας τίνα τρόπον, ἢ πῶς τῆς ὁλκῆς γινομένης;
But these [passages] from the belly, in what way [do they draw nourishment], or how does the attraction take place?
ἢ τὰ πολλὰ ἄχονδρα, καθάπερ ἡ ῥάχις· ἀλλʼ οὔτοι πρὸς τὴν κίνησιν.
Or, most [bones] are without cartilage, like the spine; but these [connections] are surely not for movement.
ἢ συνάψεως χάριν;
Or are they for the sake of connection?
δεῖ δέ, καὶ εἰ ἀπὸ τοῦ νεύρου τὸ ὀστοῦν τρέφεται, τὴν τοῦ νεύρου τροφὴν εἰδέναι, ἡμεῖς δέ φαμεν ἐκ τῆς ὑγρότητος γλίσχρας οὔσης τῆς περὶ αὐτὸ.
And it is necessary, even if the bone is nourished from the tendon, to know the nourishment of the tendon. And we say [it is] from the sticky moisture that is around it.
πόθεν δʼ αὐτὴ καὶ πῶς, λεκτέον. τὸ ἐκ φλεβὸς καὶ ἀρτηρίας τὴν σάρκα, ὅτι πανταχόθεν αἷμα τῇ κεντήσει, ψεῦδος ἐπί γε τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων, οἷον ὀρνίθων καὶ ὄφεων καὶ ἰχθύων ἢ ὅλως τῶν ᾠοτόκων·
But whence this [moisture arises] and how, must be told. [The claim] that the flesh is [nourished] from the vein and artery, because blood [comes out] from everywhere upon pricking, is false, at least in the case of other animals, such as birds, snakes, fish, or egg-laying animals generally.
ἀλλὰ τῶν πολυαίμων τοῦτʼ ἴδιον, ἐπεὶ τῶν ὀρνιθίων γε καὶ τεμνομένων τὸ στῆθος ἰχώρ, οὐχ αἷμα.
But this is peculiar to very bloody animals, since in small birds at least, even when their breast is cut, [it is] ichor, not blood [that flows].
Ἐμπεδοκλῆς δὲ ἐκ νεύρου τὸν ὄνυχα τῇ πήξει.
And Empedocles says that the nail comes from tendon by solidification.
ἆῤ οὖν οὕτω καὶ δέρμα πρὸς σάρκα;
Is it then in this way too that the skin is related to the flesh?
ἀλλὰ τοῖς ὀστρακοδέρμοις καὶ μαλακοστράκοις πῶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκτὸς ἡ τροφή;
But in testaceans and crustaceans, how is the nourishment [taken] from the outside?
τοὐναντίον γὰρ δοκεῖ μᾶλλον ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντὸς ἢ τῶν ἐκτός.
For the contrary seems rather to be the case, namely from the inside rather than from the outside.
ἔτι δὲ ποία καὶ διὰ τίνων ἡ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας δίοδος;
And further, what sort of passage is that from the belly, and through what [does it go]?
καὶ πάλιν ἡ ἐκείνων ἀναστροφὴ πρὸς τὴν σάρκα, καίπερ ἄλογος οὖσα.
And again, the return of those toward the flesh, even though it is unreasonable [how does it occur]?
πολὺ γάρ τι θαυμαστὸν φαίνεται καὶ ἀδύνατον ὅλως.
For it seems to be something very wonderful and altogether impossible.
ἄρα γε ἄλλοις ἄλλη τροφή, καὶ οὐ πᾶσι τροφὴ τὸ αἷμα· πλὴν ἐκ τούτου τἆλλα.
Is it then that different things have different nourishment, and blood is not the nourishment for all things, except that the other things [arise] from this?