§8Ἀγχοῦ δὲ τῆς ἐκφύσιος τῶν φλεβῶν σώματα τῇσι κοιλίῃσιν ἀμφιβεβήκασι, μαλθακὰ, σηραγγώδεα, ἃ κληΐσκεται μὲν οὔατα, τρήματα δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐάτων· ταῦτα γὰρ οὐκ ἐνακούουσιν ἰαχῆς·
Near the origin of the vessels, soft, spongy bodies surround the cavities, which are called ears, though they are not ear passages; for they do not hear any sound.
ἔστι δὲ ὄργανα τοῖσιν ἡ φύσις ἁρπάζει τὸν ἠέρα.
But they are organs by which nature draws in the air.
Καίτοι δοκέω τὸ ποίημα χειρώνακτος ἀγαθοῦ· κατασκεψάμενος γὰρ σχῆμα στερεὸν ἐσόμενον τὸ σπλάγχνον διὰ τὸ πιλητικὸν τοῦ ἐγχύματος, ἔπειτα πᾶν ἐὸν ἑλκτικὸν, παρέθηκεν αὐτέῳ φύσας, καθάπερ τοῖσι χοάνοισιν οἱ χαλκέες, ὥστε διὰ τουτέων χειροῦται τὴν πνοήν.
Indeed, I think this is the masterpiece of a good craftsman; for having observed that the organ, because of the compressible nature of its content, would be of a solid shape, and furthermore that it is entirely attractive, he placed bellows alongside it, just as blacksmiths do with their furnaces, so that through these he controls the breath.
Τεκμήριον δὲ τοῦ λόγου· τὴν μὲν γὰρ καρδίην ἴδοις ἂν ῥιπταζομένην οὐλομελῆ, τὰ δὲ οὔατα κατ’ ἰδίην ἀναφυσώμενά τε καὶ ξυμπίπτοντα.
Here is the proof of this argument: you would see the heart itself tossing as a whole, but the auricles inflating and collapsing on their own.
§9Διὰ τοῦτο δέ φημι καὶ φλεβία μὲν ἐργάζεται τὴν ἀναπνοὴν ἐς τὴν ἀριστερὴν κοιλίην, ἀρτηρίη δ’ ἐς τὴν ἄλλην· τὸ γὰρ μαλακὸν ἑλκτικώτερον καὶ ἐπιδόσιας ἔχον.
For this reason, I say, the small vessels perform the inhalation into the left cavity, and the artery into the other; for the soft is more attractive and capable of expansion.
Ἔχρη δὲ ἡμῖν μᾶλλον τὰ ἐπικείμενα τῆς καρδίης διαψύχεσθαι· βέβλαπται ἔς τι γὰρ τὸ θερμὸν ἐν τοῖσι δεξιοῖσιν, ὥστε διὰ τὴν πάθην οὐκ ἔλαβεν εὐπετὲς ὄργανον, ἵνα μὴ πάμπαν κρατηθῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐσιόντος.
But it was more necessary for us that the parts overlying the heart should be cooled; for the heat in the right side is somewhat impaired, so that because of this affection it did not receive an easy organ, lest it should be completely overcome by what enters.
§10Λοιπός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος ὁ τῆς καρδίης ὑμένες ἀφανέες, ἔργον ἀξιαπηγητότατον.
The remaining account is that of the unseen membranes of the heart, a work most worthy of description.
Ὑμένες γὰρ καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς ἐν τῇσι κοιλίῃσιν ὁκοῖον ἀράχναι διαπετέες ζώσαντες πάντη τὰ στόματα, κτηδόνας ἐμβάλλουσιν ἐς τὴν στερεὴν καρδίην.
For there are also certain other membranes in the cavities, spread out like spider webs, surrounding the mouths entirely like girdles, which insert fibers into the solid heart.
Οὗτοί μοι δοκέουσιν οἱ τόνοι τοῦ σπλάγχνου καὶ τῶν ἀγγείων, ἀρχαὶ τῇσιν ἀορτῇσιν.
These seem to me to be the cords of the organ and of the vessels, the origins for the aortas.
Ἔστι δὲ αὐτέων ζεῦγος, ᾧ θύραισι μεμηχάνηνται τρεῖς ὑμένες ἑκάστῃ, περιφερέες ἐξ ἄκρου περ ὁκόσον ἡμίτομα κύκλου, οἵ τε ξυνιόντες θαυμάσιον ὡς κλείουσι τὰ στόματα, τῶν ἀορτέων πέρας· καὶ τὴν καρδίην ἀποθανόντος ἤν τις ἐξεπιστάμενος τὸν ἀρχαῖον κόσμον ἀφελὼν, τῶνδε τὸν μὲν ἀποστήσῃ, τὸν δὲ ἐπανακλίνῃ, οὔτε ὕδωρ ἂν διέλθοι εἰς τὴν καρδίην οὔτε φῦσα ἐμβαλλομένη· καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν τῆς ἀριστερῆς·
There is a pair of them, for each of which three membranes have been devised at the doors, curved from the outer edge as much as semicircles, which, when coming together, close the mouths, the end of the aortas, in a wonderful manner; and if someone, understanding the original order, should take the heart of a dead man and pull one of these back and press the other down, neither water would pass through into the heart nor bellows-blown air; and this is even more so for those of the left side.
τοιγὰρ ἐμηχανήθησαν ἀτρεκέστερον κατὰ δίκην· γνώμη γὰρ ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πέφυκεν ἐν τῇ λαιῇ κοιλίῃ, καὶ ἄρχει τῆς ἄλλης ψυχῆς.
Therefore indeed they were constructed more precisely, as is right; for the intelligence of man is by nature in the left cavity, and rules the rest of the soul.
§11Τρέφεται δὲ οὔτε σιτίοισιν οὔτε ποτοῖσι τοῖσιν ἀπὸ τῆς νηδύος, ἀλλὰ καθαρῇ καὶ φωτοειδεῖ περιουσίῃ γεγονυίῃ ἐκ τῆς διακρίσιος τοῦ αἵματος.
And it is nourished neither by food nor by drink from the stomach, but by a pure and light-like surplus arising from the separation of the blood.
Εὐπορέει δὲ τὴν τροφὴν ἐκ τῆς ἔγγιστα δεξαμένης τοῦ αἵματος, διαβάλλουσα τὰς ἀκτῖνας, καὶ νεμομένη ὥσπερ ἐκ νηδύος καὶ ἐντέρων τὴν τροφὴν, καὶ τοῦτο κατὰ φύσιν· ὅκως δὲ μὴ ἀνακωχῇ τὸ σιτίον τὰ ἐνεόντα ἐν τῇ ἀρτηρίῃ ἐν ζάλῃ ἐὸν, ἀποκλείει τὴν ἐπ’ αὐτὴν κέλευθον· ἡ γὰρ μεγάλη ἀρτηρίη βόσκεται τὴν γαστέρα καὶ τὰ ἔντερα, καὶ γέμει τροφῆς οὐχ ἡγεμονικῆς.
It has an abundant supply of nourishment from the nearest receiving place of the blood, transmitting its rays and feeding on the nourishment as if from the stomach and intestines, and this according to nature; but so that the food may not obstruct what is in the artery while in commotion, it closes the way to it; for the great artery feeds the stomach and the intestines, and is full of non-ruling nourishment.
Ὅτι δὲ οὐ τρέφεται βλεπομένῳ αἵματι δῆλον ὧδε· ἀποσφαγέντος τοῦ ζώου, σχισθείσης τῆς ἀριστερῆς κοιλίης, ἐρημίη φαίνεται πᾶσα, πλὴν ἰχῶρός τινος καὶ χολῆς ξανθῆς καὶ τῶν ὑμενέων, περὶ ὧν ἤδη μοι πέφανται· ἡ δὲ ἀρτηρίη οὓ λειφαιμοῦσα, οὐδὲ ἡ δεξιὴ κοιλίη.
That it is not nourished by visible blood is clear from this: when the animal is slaughtered and the left cavity is cut open, it appears entirely empty, except for some serum and yellow bile and the membranes about which I have already spoken; but the artery is not bloodless, nor is the right cavity.
Τουτέῳ μὲν οὖν τῷ ἀγγείῳ κατ’ ἐμὸν νόον ἥδε ἡ πρόφασις τῶν ὑμένων.
For this vessel, then, in my opinion, this is the purpose of the membranes.
§12Τὸ δ’ αὖ φερόμενον ἐκ τῆς δεξιῆς, ζυγοῦται μὲν καὶ τοῦτο τῇ ξυμβολῇ τῶν ὑμένων, πλὴν οὐ κάρτα ἔθρωσκεν ὑπὸ ἀσθενείης· ἀλλ’ ἀνοίγεται μὲν ἐς πνεύμονα, ὡς αἷμα παρασχεῖν αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν τροφὴν, κλείεται δὲ ἐς τὴν καρδίην οὐχ ἁρμῷ, ὅκως ἐσίῃ μὲν ὁ ἠὴρ, οὐ πάνυ δὲ πουλύς· ἀσθενὲς γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὸ θερμὸν, δυναστευόμενον κρήματι ψυχροῦ· τὸ αἷμα γὰρ οὐκ ἐστὶ τῇ φύσει θερμὸν, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλο τι ὕδωρ, ἀλλὰ θερμαίνεται· δοκέει δὲ τοῖσι πολλοῖσι φύσει θερμόν.
On the other hand, that which is carried from the right cavity is also shut in by the joining of the membranes, except that it did not spurt out strongly because of weakness; but it opens into the lung, so as to provide it with blood for its nourishment, and closes toward the heart, though not tightly, so that air may enter, but not too much; for the heat here is weak, being dominated by the mixture of cold; for blood is not warm by nature, nor indeed is any other water, but it is warmed; though it seems to many to be warm by nature.
Περὶ δὲ καρδίης τοιαῦτα εἰρήσθω.
Let this much be said concerning the heart.