§1## ΠΕΡΙ ΚΑΡΔΙΗΣ.
Καρδίη σχῆμα μὲν ὁκοίη πυραμὶς, χροιὴν δὲ κατακορὴς φοινικέα.
[ON THE HEART] The heart in shape is like a pyramid, and in color a deep dark red.
Καὶ περιβεβλέαται χιτῶνα λεῖον· καὶ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτέῳ ὑγρὸν σμικρὸν ὁποῖον οὖρον, ὥστε δόξεις ἐν κύστει τὴν καρδίην ἀναστρέφεσθαι·
And it is enveloped in a smooth tunic; and in it there is a small amount of fluid like urine, so that you would think the heart turns about in a bladder.
γεγένηται δὲ τούτου ἕνεκα, ὅκως ἅλληται ῥωσκομένως ἐν φυλακῇ· ἔχει δὲ τὸ ὕγρασμα ὁκόσον μάλιστα καὶ πυρευμένῃ ἄκος.
It has come to be for this purpose, so that it may leap vigorously under protection; and the fluid has just about as much as is a remedy for it when it is heated.
Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ὑγρὸν διοῤῥοῖ ἡ καρδίη πίνουσα, ἀναλαμβανομένη καὶ ἀναλίσκουσα, λάπτουσα τοῦ πνεύμονος τὸ ποτόν.
This fluid the heart filters through, drinking, taking it up and consuming it, lapping up the drink from the lung.
§2Πίνει γὰρ ὥνθρωπος τὸ μὲν πολλὸν ἐς νηδύν· ὁ γὰρ στόμαχος ὁκοῖον χῶνος, καὶ ἐκδέχεται τὸ πλῆθος καὶ ἅσσα προσαιρόμεθα· πίνει δὲ καὶ ἐς φάρυγγα, τυτθὸν δὲ οἷον καὶ ὁκόσον ἂν λάθοι διὰ ῥύμης ἐσρυέν·
For a man drinks for the most part into the stomach; for the esophagus is like a funnel, and receives the main volume and whatever we take in; but he also drinks into the trachea, a tiny amount, such as would slip in unnoticed through the flow.
πῶμα γὰρ ἀτρεκὲς ἡ ἐπιγλωσσὶς, κἂν διήσῃ μεῖζον ποτοῦ οὐδέν.
For the epiglottis is an exact lid, and would let nothing larger than a drink pass through.
Σημήϊον τοῦτο· ἢν γάρ τις κυάνῳ ἢ μίλτῳ φορύξας ὕδωρ δοίη δεδιψηκότι πάνυ πιεῖν, μάλιστα δὲ συῒ, τὸ γὰρ κτῆνος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιμελὲς οὐδὲ φιλόκαλον, ἔπειτα δὲ εἰ ἔτι πίνοντος ἀνατέμνοις τὸν λαιμὸν, εὕροις ἂν τοῦτον κεχρωσμένον τῷ ποτῷ·
Here is the proof: if someone, having stained water with blue dye or red ochre, should give it to a very thirsty animal to drink, especially a pig, for the beast is neither careful nor elegant, and then if you should cut open its throat while it is still drinking, you would find this stained by the drink.
ἀλλ’ οὐ παντὸς ἀνδρὸς ἡ χειρουργία.
But this manual operation is not for every man.
Οὔκουν ἀπιστητέον ἡμῖν περὶ τοῦ ποτοῦ, εἰ εὐτρεπίζει τὴν σύριγγα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ.
Therefore we must not disbelieve concerning the drink, that it prepares the trachea for man.
Ἀλλὰ πῶς ὕδωρ ἀνέδην ἐνοροῦον ὄχλον καὶ βῆχα παρέχει πουλλήν;
But how does water rushing in freely cause distress and much coughing?
οὕνεκα, φημὶ, ἀπάντικρυ τῆς ἀναπνοῆς φέρεται.
Because, I say, it is carried directly opposite to the breath.
Τὸ γὰρ διὰ τῆς ῥύμης ἐσρέον, ἅτε παρὰ τυτθὸν ἰὸν, οὐκ ἐνίσταται τῇ ἀναφορῇ τοῦ ἠέρος, ἀλλά τινα καὶ λείην ὁδόν οἱ παρέχει ἡ ἐπίτεγξις· τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ὑγρὸν ἀπάγει τοῦ πνεύμονος ἅμα τῷ ἠέρι.
For that which flows in through the rush, since it goes by a tiny amount, does not stand in the way of the ascent of the air, but the moistening provides a certain smooth path for it; and the heart draws this fluid away from the lung together with the air.
§3Τὸν μὲν οὖν ἠέρα χρὴ, γενόμενον θεραπείην, ἀνάγκῃ ὀπίσω τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν ἐκβάλλειν ἔνθεν ἤγαγεν· τὸ δ’ ὑγρὸν, τὸ μὲν εἰς τὸν κουλεὸν αὐτέης ἀποπτύει, τὸ δ’ αὖ ξὺν τῷ ἠέρι θύραζε χωρέειν ἐῇ.
Therefore, the air, having become a treatment, must by necessity be cast back along the same path from which it was brought; but as for the fluid, the heart spits out some of it into its own sheath, and allows the other part to go outside along with the air.
Ταύτῃ καὶ διαίρει τὸν οὐρανὸν, ὁκόταν παλινδρομέῃ τὸ πνεῦμα· παλινδρομέει δὲ κατὰ δίκην· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπου φύσιος τροφὴ ταῦτα·
In this way it also raises the ceiling, whenever the breath runs back; and it runs back in accordance with justice; for these are not nourishment for the nature of man.
κῶς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου τροφὴ ἄνεμος καὶ ὕδωρ τὰ ὠμά;
For how could wind and raw water be nourishment for man?
ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τιμωρίη ξυγγενέος πάθης.
Rather, they are a relief for the kindred affection.
§4Περὶ δὲ οὗ ὁ λόγος, ἡ καρδίη μῦς ἐστι κάρτα ἰσχυρὸς, οὐ τῷ νεύρῳ, ἀλλὰ πιλήματι σαρκός.
But concerning our subject, the heart is a very strong muscle, not by tendon, but by compression of flesh.
Καὶ δύο γαστέρας ἔχει διακεκριμένας ἐν ἑνὶ περιβόλῳ, τὴν μὲν ἔνθα, τὴν δὲ ἔνθα· οὐδὲν δὲ ἐοίκασιν ἀλλήλῃσιν·
And it has two cavities distinguished within a single enclosure, one on this side, and one on that; but they are not at all like each other.
ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τοῖσι δεξιοῖσιν ἐπὶ στόμα κέεται ὁμιλέουσα τῇ ἑτέρῃ [φλεβὶ], ἡ δὲ δεξιὴ φημὶ τῶν ἐν λαιοῖς· ἡ γὰρ πᾶσα καρδίη τουτέοισι τὴν ἕδρην ἐμπεποίηται· ἀτὰρ ἥδε καὶ πάμπαν εὐρυκοίλιος καὶ λαγαρωτέρη πολλῷ τῆς ἑτέρης, οὐδὲ τῆς καρδίης νέμεται τὴν ἐσχατιὴν, ἀλλ’ ἐγκαταλείπει τὸν οὐραχὸν στερεὸν, καί ἐστιν ὥσπερ ἔξωθεν προσεῤῥαμμένη.
For the one on the right lies facing the opening, communicating with the other [vein]—and by the right, I mean the one of those on the left; for the whole heart has established its seat in these—but this one is altogether wide-cavityed and much more flaccid than the other, and does not occupy the extremity of the heart, but leaves the apex solid, and is as if sewn on from the outside.
Ἡ δὲ ἑτέρη κέεται ὑπένερθεν μὲν μάλιστα, καὶ κατ’ ἰθυωρίην μάλιστα μὲν μαζῷ ἀριστερῷ, ὅπη καὶ διασημαίνει τὸ ἅλμα.
The other lies mostly underneath, and in a direct line mostly with the left breast, where indeed its beating shows itself.
§5Περίβολον δὲ ἔχει παχὺν, καὶ βόθρον ἐμβεβόθρωται τὸ εἶδος εἴκελον ὅλμῳ.
And it has a thick enclosure, and is hollowed out like a mortar in appearance.
Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἤδη καὶ τοῦ πνεύμονος ἐνδύεται μετὰ προσηνίης, καὶ κολάζει τὴν ἀκρασίην τοῦ θερμοῦ περιβαλλομένη· ὁ γὰρ πνεύμων φύσει ψυχρός· ἀτὰρ καὶ ψυχόμενος τῇ εἰσπνοῇ.
But indeed, it is already also gently enveloped by the lung, and restrains the excess of heat by being surrounded; for the lung is cold by nature, but also being cooled by inhalation.
§6Ἄμφω γε μὴν δασεῖαι τὰ ἔνδον καὶ ὥσπερ ὑποδιαβεβρωμέναι, καὶ μᾶλλον τῆς δεξιῆς ἡ λαιή· τὸ γὰρ ἔμφυτον πῦρ οὐκ ἐν τῇ δεξιῇ, ὥστε οὐ θαῦμα τρηχυτέρην γενέσθαι τὴν λαιὴν ἐσπνέουσαν ἀκρήτου· ταύτῃ καὶ παχετὸν ἐνδεδόμηται φυλακῆς εἵνεκα τῆς ἰσχύος τοῦ θερμοῦ.
Yet both are rough on the inside and as if corroded, and the left more than the right; for the innate fire is not in the right, so that it is no wonder that the left, inhaling unmixed air, becomes rougher; for this reason also a thick wall has been built in for the protection of the strength of the heat.
§7Στόματα δ’ αὐτέῃσιν οὐκ ἀνεώγασιν, εἰ μή τις ἀποκείρει τῶν οὐάτων τὴν κορυφὴν καὶ τῆς καρδίης τὴν κεφαλήν· ἢν δ’ ἀποκείρῃ, φανήσεται καὶ δισσὰ στόματα ἐπὶ δυσὶ γαστέροιν· ἡ γὰρ παχείη φλὲψ ἐκ μιῆς ἀναθέουσα, πλανᾷ τὴν ὄψιν, ἢν ἀνατμηθῇ.
And their mouths are not open, unless someone cuts off the top of the auricles and the head of the heart; but if he should cut them off, there will appear double mouths upon the two cavities; for the thick vessel running up from one of them deceives the sight, if it is cut open.
Αὗται πηγαὶ φύσιος ἀνθρώπου, καὶ οἱ ποταμοὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀνὰ τὸ σῶμα, τοῖσιν ἄρδεται τὸ σκῆνος, οὗτοι δὲ καὶ τὴν ζωὴν φέρουσι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, κἢν αὐανθέωσιν, ἀπέθανεν ὥνθρωπος.
These are the springs of human nature, and the rivers here throughout the body, by which the frame is watered; and these also bring life to man, and if they should dry up, the man dies.