Similaristhecaseofanimalswhoseearsarelongandprojectfarliketheeavesofahouse,asinsomequadrupeds,withtheinternalspiralpassagelong;thesealsocatchthemovementfromafarandpassitontothesense—organ。
Inrespectofsense—perceptionatadistance,manis,onemaysay,theworstofallanimalsinproportiontohissize,butinrespectofjudgingthedifferencesofqualityintheobjectsheisthebestofall。Thereasonisthatthesense—organinmanispureandleastearthyandmaterial,andheisbynaturethethinnest—skinnedofallanimalsforhissize。
TheworkmanshipofNatureisadmirablealsointheseal,forthoughaviviparousquadrupedithasnoearsbutonlypassagesforhearing。Thisisbecauseitslifeispassedinthewater;nowtheearisapartaddedtothepassagestopreservethemovementoftheairatadistance;thereforeanearisnousetoitbutwouldevenbringaboutthecontraryresultbyreceivingamassofwaterintoitself。
Wehavethusspokenofsight,hearing,andsmell。
3
Asforhair,mendifferinthisthemselvesatdifferentages,andalsofromallotherkindsofanimalsthathavehair。Thesearealmostallwhichareinternallyviviparous,forevenwhenthecoveringofsuchanimalsisspinyitmustbeconsideredasakindofhair,asinthelandhedgehogandanyothersuchanimalamongthevivipara。
Hairsdifferinrespectofhardnessandsoftness,lengthandshortness,straightnessandcurliness,quantityandscantiness,andinadditiontothesequalities,intheircolours,whitenessandblacknessandtheintermediateshades。Theydifferalsoinsomeoftheserespectsaccordingtoage,astheyareyoungorgrowingold。Thisisespeciallyplaininman;thehairgetscoarserastimegoeson,andsomegobaldonthefrontofthehead;childrenindeeddonotgobald,nordowomen,butmendosobythetimetheirageisadvancing。
Humanbeingsalsogogreyontheheadastheygrowold,butthisisnotvisibleinpracticallyanyotheranimal,thoughmoresointhehorsethanothers。Mengobaldonthefrontofthehead,butturngreyfirstonthetemples;noonegoesbaldfirstontheseoronthebackofthehead。Somesuchaffectionsoccurinacorrespondingmanneralsoinallanimalswhichhavenothairbutsomethinganalogoustoit,asthefeathersofbirdsandscalesintheclassoffish。
ForwhatpurposeNaturehasmadehairingeneralforanimalshasbeenpreviouslystatedintheworkdealingwiththecausesofthepartsofanimals;itisthebusinessofthepresentinquirytoshowunderwhatcircumstancesandforwhatnecessarycauseseachparticularkindofhairoccurs。Theprincipalcausethenofthicknessandthinnessistheskin,forthisisthickinsomeanimalsandthininothers,rareinsomeanddenseinothers。Thedifferentqualityoftheincludedmoistureisalsoahelpingcause,forinsomeanimalsthisisgreasyandinotherswatery。Forgenerallyspeakingthesubstratumoftheskinisofanearthynature;beingonthesurfaceofthebodyitbecomessolidandearthyasthemoistureevaporates。Nowthehairsortheiranaloguearenotformedoutofthefleshbutoutoftheskinmoistureevaporatingandexhalinginthem,andthereforethickhairsarisefromathickskinandthinfromthin。Ifthentheskinisrarerandthicker,thehairsarethickbecauseofthequantityofearthymatterandthesizeofthepores,butifitisdensertheyarethinbecauseofthenarrownessofthepores。Further,ifthemoisturebewateryitdriesupquicklyandthehairsdonotgaininsize,butifitbegreasytheoppositehappens,forthegreasyisnoteasilydriedup。Thereforethethicker—skinnedanimalsareasageneralrulethicker—hairedforthecausesmentioned;however,thethickest—skinnedarenotmoresothanotherthick—skinnedones,asisshownbytheclassofswinecomparedtothatofoxenandtotheelephantandmanyothers。Andforthesamereasonalsothehairsoftheheadinmanarethickest,forthispartofhisskinisthickestandliesovermostmoistureandbesidesisveryporous。
Thecauseofthehairsbeinglongorshortdependsontheevaporatingmoisturenotbeingeasilydried。Ofthistherearetwocauses,quantityandquality;iftheliquidismuchitdoesnotdryupeasilynorifitisgreasy。Andforthisreasonthehairsoftheheadarelongestinman,forthebrain,beingfluidandcold,suppliesgreatabundanceofmoisture。
Thehairsbecomestraightorcurlyonaccountofthevapourarisinginthem。Ifitbesmoke—like,itishotanddryandsomakesthehaircurly,foritistwistedasbeingcarriedwithadoublemotion,theearthyparttendingdownwardsandthehotupwards。Thus,beingeasilybent,itistwistedowingtoitsweakness,andthisiswhatismeantbycurlinessinhair。Itispossiblethenthatthisisthecause,butitisalsopossiblethat,owingtoitshavingbutlittlemoistureandmuchearthymatterinit,itisdriedbythesurroundingairandsocoileduptogether。Forwhatisstraightbecomesbent,ifthemoistureinitisevaporated,andrunstogetherasahairdoeswhenburninguponthefire;curlinesswillthenbeacontractionowingtodeficiencyofmoisturecausedbytheheatoftheenvironment。Asignofthisisthefactthatcurlyhairisharderthanstraight,forthedryishard。Andanimalswithmuchmoisturearestraight—haired;forinthesehairsthemoistureadvancesasastream,notindrops。ForthisreasontheScythiansontheBlackSeaandtheThraciansarestraight—haired,forboththeythemselvesandtheenvironingairaremoist,whereastheAethiopiansandmeninhotcountriesarecurly—haired,fortheirbrainsandthesurroundingairaredry。
Some,however,ofthethick—skinnedanimalsarefine—hairedforthecausepreviouslystated,forthefinertheporesarethefinermustthehairsbe。Hencetheclassofsheephavesuchhairs(forwoolisonlyamultitudeofhairs)。
Therearesomeanimalswhosehairissoftandyetlessfine,asisthecasewiththeclassofharescomparedwiththatofsheep;insuchanimalsthehairisonthesurfaceoftheskin,notdeeplyrootedinit,andsoisnotlongbutinmuchthesamestateasthescrapingsfromlinen,forthesealsoarenotlongbutaresoftanddonotadmitofweaving。
Theconditionofsheepincoldclimatesisoppositetothatofman;thehairoftheScythiansissoftbutthatoftheSauromaticsheepishard。Thereasonofthisisthesameasitisalsoallwildanimals。Thecoldhardensandsolidifiesthembydryingthem,forastheheatispressedoutthemoistureevaporates,andbothhairandskinbecomeearthyandhard。Inwildanimalsthentheexposuretothecoldisthecauseofhardnessinthehair,intheothersthenatureoftheclimateisthecause。Aproofofthisisalsowhathappensinthesea—urchinswhichareusedasaremedyinstranguries。Forthese,too,thoughsmallthemselves,havelargeandhardspinesbecausetheseainwhichtheyliveiscoldonaccountofitsdepth(fortheyarefoundinsixtyfathomsandevenmore)。Thespinesarelargebecausethegrowthofthebodyisdivertedtothem,sincehavinglittleheatinthemtheydonotconcocttheirnutrimentandsohavemuchresidualmatteranditisfromthisthatspines,hairs,andsuchthingsareformed;theyarehardandpetrifiedthroughthecongealingeffectofthecold。Inthesamewayalsoplantsarefoundtobeharder,moreearthy,andstony,iftheregioninwhichtheygrowlookstothenorththanifitlookstothesouth,andthoseinwindyplacesthanthoseinsheltered,fortheyareallmorechilledandtheirmoistureevaporates。
Hardening,then,comesofbothheatandcold,forbothcausethemoisturetoevaporate,heatperseandcoldperaccidens(sincethemoisturegoesoutofthingsalongwiththeheat,therebeingnomoisturewithoutheat),butwhereascoldnotonlyhardensbutalsocondenses,heatmakesasubstancerarer。
Forthesamereason,asanimalsgrowolder,thehairsbecomeharderinthosewhichhavehairs,andthefeathersandscalesinthefeatheredandscalykinds。Fortheirskinsbecomeharderandthickerastheygetolder,fortheyaredriedup,andoldage,astheworddenotes,isearthybecausetheheatfailsandthemoisturealongwithit。
Mengobaldvisiblymorethananyotheranimal,butstillsuchastateissomethinggeneral,foramongplantsalsosomeareevergreenswhileothersaredeciduous,andbirdswhichhibernateshedtheirfeathers。Similartothisistheconditionofbaldnessinthosehumanbeingstowhomitisincident。Forleavesareshedbyallplants,fromonepartoftheplantatatime,andsoarefeathersandhairsbythoseanimalsthathavethem;itiswhentheyareallshedtogetherthattheconditionisdescribedbythetermsmentioned,foritiscalled’goingbald’and’thefalloftheleaf’
and’moulting’。Thecauseoftheconditionisdeficiencyofhotmoisture,suchmoisturebeingespeciallytheunctuous,andhenceunctuousplantsaremoreevergreen。(Howeverwemustelsewherestatethecauseofthisphenomenainplants,forothercausesalsocontributetoit。)Itisinwinterthatthishappenstoplants(forthechangefromsummertowinterismoreimportanttothemthanthetimeoflife),andtothoseanimalswhichhibernate(forthese,too,arebynaturelesshotandmoistthanman);inthelatteritistheseasonsoflifethatcorrespondtosummerandwinter。
Hencenoonegoesbaldbeforethetimeofsexualintercourse,andatthattimeitisinthosenaturallyinclinedtosuchintercoursethatbaldnessappears,forthebrainisnaturallythecoldestpartofthebodyandsexualintercoursemakesmencold,beingalossofpurenaturalheat。Thusweshouldexpectthebraintofeeltheeffectofitfirst,foralittlecauseturnsthescalewherethethingconcernedisweakandinpoorcondition。Thusifwereckonupthesepoints,thatthebrainitselfhasbutlittleheat,andfurtherthattheskinrounditmustneedshavestillless,andagainthatthehairmusthavestilllessthantheskininasmuchasitisfurthestremovedfromthebrain,weshouldreasonablyexpectbaldnesstocomeaboutthisageuponthosewhohavemuchsemen。Anditisforthesamereasonthatthefrontpartoftheheadalonegoesbaldinmanandthatheistheonlyanimaltodoso;thefrontpartgoesbaldbecausethebrainisthere,andmanistheonlyanimaltogobaldbecausehisbrainismuchthelargestandthemoistest。Womendonotgobaldbecausetheirnatureislikethatofchildren,bothalikebeingincapableofproducingseminalsecretion。Eunuchsdonotbecomebald,becausetheychangeintothefemalecondition。Andastothehairthatcomeslaterinlife,eunuchseitherdonotgrowitatall,orloseitiftheyhappentohaveit,withtheexceptionofthepubichair;forwomenalsogrowthatthoughtheyhavenottheother,andthismutilationisachangefromthemaletothefemalecondition。
Thereasonwhythehairdoesnotgrowagainincasesofbaldness,althoughbothhibernatinganimalsrecovertheirfeathersorhairandtreesthathaveshedtheirleavesgrowleavesagain,isthis。Theseasonsoftheyeararetheturning—pointsoftheirlives,ratherthantheirage,sothatwhentheseseasonschangetheychangewiththembygrowingandlosingfeathers,hairs,orleavesrespectively。Butthewinterandsummer,springandautumnofmanaredefinedbyhisage,sothat,sincehisagesdonotreturn,neitherdotheconditionscausedbythemreturn,althoughthecauseofthechangeofconditionissimilarinmantowhatitisintheanimalsandplantsinquestion。
Wehavenowspokenprettymuchofalltheotherconditionsofhair。
4
Butastotheircolour,itisthenatureoftheskinthatisthecauseofthisinotheranimalsandalsooftheirbeinguni—colouredorvari—coloured);butinmanitisnotthecause,exceptofthehairgoinggreythroughdisease(notthrougholdage),forinwhatiscalledleprosythehairsbecomewhite;onthecontrary,ifthehairsarewhitethewhitenessdoesnotinvadetheskin。Thereasonisthatthehairsgrowoutofskin;if,then,theskinisdiseasedandwhitethehairbecomesdiseasedwithit,andthediseaseofhairisgreyness。Butthegreynessofhairwhichisduetoageresultsfromweaknessanddeficiencyofheat。Forasthebodydeclinesinvigourwetendtocoldateverytimeoflife,andespeciallyinoldage,thisagebeingcoldanddry。Wemustrememberthatthenutrimentcomingtoeachpartofthebodyisconcoctedbytheheatappropriatetothepart;iftheheatisinadequatethepartlosesitsefficiency,anddestructionordiseaseresults。(Weshallspeakmoreindetailofcausesinthetreatiseongrowthandnutrition。)Whenever,then,thehairinmanhasnaturallylittleheatandtoomuchmoistureentersit,itsownproperheatisunabletoconcoctthemoistureandsoitisdecayedbytheheatintheenvironingair。Alldecayiscausedbyheat,nottheinnateheatbutexternalheat,ashasbeenstatedelsewhere。Andasthereisadecayofwater,ofearth,andallsuchmaterialbodies,sothereisalsooftheearthyvapour,forinstancewhatiscalledmould(formouldisadecayofearthyvapour)。Thusalsotheliquidnutrimentinthehairdecaysbecauseitisnotconcocted,andwhatiscalledgreynessresults。Itiswhitebecausemouldalso,practicallyaloneamongdecayedthings,iswhite。Thereasonofthisisthatithasmuchairinit,allearthyvapourbeingequivalenttothickair。Formouldis,asitwere,theantithesisofhoar—frost;iftheascendingvapourbefrozenitbecomeshoar—frost,ifitbedecayed,mould。Hencebothareonthesurfaceofthings,forvapourissuperficial。Andsothecomicpoetsmakeagoodmetaphorinjestwhentheycallgreyhairs’mouldofoldage’andFortheoneisgenericallythesameasgreyness,theotherspecifically;hoar—frostgenerically(forbothareavapour),mouldspecifically(forbothareaformofdecay)。Aproofthatthisissoisthis:greyhairshaveoftengrownonmeninconsequenceofdisease,andlaterondarkhairsinsteadofthemafterrestorationtohealth。Thereasonisthatinsicknessthewholebodyisdeficientinnaturalheatandsothepartsbesides,eventheverysmallones,participateinthisweakness;andagain,muchresidualmatterisformedinthebodyandallitspartsinillness,whereforetheincapacityinthefleshtoconcoctthenutrimentcausesthegreyhairs。Butwhenmenhaverecoveredhealthandstrengthagaintheychange,becomingasitwereyoungagaininsteadofold;inconsequencethestateschangealso。Indeed,wemayrightlycalldiseaseanacquiredoldage,oldageanaturaldisease;atanyrate,somediseasesproducethesameeffectsasoldage。
Mengogreyonthetemplesfirst,becausethebackoftheheadisemptyofmoistureowingtoitscontainingnobrain,andthe’bregma’
hasagreatdealofmoisture,alargequantitynotbeingliabletodecay;thehaironthetempleshoweverhasneithersolittlethatitcanconcoctitnorsomuchthatitcannotdecay,forthisregionoftheheadbeingbetweenthetwoextremesisexemptfrombothstates。
Thecauseofgreynessinmanhasnowbeenstated。
5
Thereasonwhythischangedoesnottakeplacevisiblyonaccountofageinotheranimalsisthesameasthatalreadygiveninthecaseofbaldness;theirbrainissmallandlessfluidthaninman,sothattheheatrequiredforconcoctiondoesnotaltogetherfail。
Amongthemitismostclearinhorsesofallanimalsthatweknow,becausetheboneaboutthebrainisthinnerinthemthaninothersinproportiontotheirsize。Asignofthisisthatablowtothisspotisfataltothem,whereforeHomeralsohassaid:’wherethefirsthairsgrowontheskullofhorses,andawoundismostfatal。’Asthenthemoistureeasilyflowstothesehairsbecauseofthethinnessofthebone,whilsttheheatfailsonaccountofage,theygogrey。Thereddishhairsgogreysoonerthantheblack,rednessalsobeingasortofweaknessofhairandallweakthingsageingsooner。Itissaid,however,thatcranesbecomedarkerastheygrowold。Thereasonofthiswouldbe,ifitshouldprovetrue,thattheirfeathersarenaturallymoisterthanothersandastheygrowoldthemoistureinthefeathersistoomuchtodecayeasily。
Greynesscomesaboutbysomesortofdecay,andisnot,assomethink,awithering。(1)Aproofoftheformerstatementisthefactthathairprotectedbyhatsorothercoveringsgoesgreysooner(forthewindspreventdecayandtheprotectionkeepsoffthewinds),andthefactthatitisaidedbyanointingwithamixtureofoilandwater。For,thoughwatercoolsthings,theoilmingledwithitpreventsthehairfromdryingquickly,waterbeingeasilydriedup。
(2)Thattheprocessisnotawithering,thatthehairdoesnotwhitenasgrassdoesbywithering,isshownbythefactthatsomehairsgrowgreyfromthefirst,whereasnothingspringsupinawitheredstate。Manyhairsalsowhitenatthetip,forthereisleastheatintheextremitiesandthinnestparts。
Whenthehairsofotheranimalsarewhite,thisiscausedbynature,notbyanyaffection。Thecauseofthecoloursinotheranimalsistheskin;iftheyarewhite,theskiniswhite,iftheyaredarkitisdark,iftheyarepiebaldinconsequenceofamixtureofthehairs,itisfoundtobewhiteintheonepartanddarkintheother。Butinmantheskinisinnowaythecause,forevenwhite—skinnedmenhaveverydarkhair。Thereasonisthatmanhasthethinnestskinofallanimalsinproportiontohissizeandthereforeithasnotstrengthtochangethehairs;onthecontrarytheskinitselfchangesitscolourthroughitsweaknessandisdarkenedbysunandwind,whilethehairsdonotchangealongwithitatall。Butintheotheranimalstheskin,owingtoitsthickness,hastheinfluencebelongingtothesoilinwhichathinggrows,thereforethehairschangeaccordingtotheskinbuttheskindoesnotchangeatallinconsequenceofthewindsandthesun。
6
Ofanimalssomeareuni—coloured(Imeanbythistermthoseofwhichthekindasawholehasonecolour,asalllionsaretawny;
andthisconditionexistsalsoinbirds,fish,andtheotherclassesofanimalsalike);othersthoughmany—colouredareyetwhole—coloured(Imeanthosewhosebodyasawholehasthesamecolour,asabulliswhiteasawholeordarkasawhole);othersarevari—coloured。
Thislasttermisusedinbothways;sometimesthewholekindisvari—coloured,asleopardsandpeacocks,andsomefish,e。g。theso—called’thrattai’;sometimesthekindasawholeisnotso,butsuchindividualsarefoundinit,aswithcattleandgoatsand,amongbirds,pigeons;thesameappliesalsotootherkindsofbirds。
Thewhole—colouredchangemuchmorethantheuniformlycoloured,bothintothesimplecolourofanotherindividualofthesamekind(asdarkchangingintowhiteandviceversa)andintobothcoloursmingled。Thisisbecauseitisanaturalcharacteristicofthekindasawholenottohaveonecolouronly,thekindbeingeasilymovedinbothdirectionssothatthecoloursbothchangemoreintooneanotherandaremorevaried。Theoppositeholdswiththeuniformlycoloured;theydonotchangeexceptbyanaffectionofthecolour,andthatrarely;butstilltheydosochange,forbeforenowwhiteindividualshavebeenobservedamongpartridges,ravens,sparrows,andbears。Thishappenswhenthecourseofdevelopmentisperverted,forwhatissmalliseasilyspoiltandeasilymoved,andwhatisdevelopingissmall,thebeginningofallsuchthingsbeingonasmallscale。
Changeisespeciallyfoundinthoseanimalsofwhichbynaturetheindividualiswhole—colouredbutthekindmany—coloured。Thisisowingtothewaterwhichtheydrink,forhotwatersmakethehairwhite,coldmakesitdark,aneffectfoundalsoinplants。Thereasonisthatthehothavemoreairthanwaterinthem,andtheairshiningthroughcauseswhiteness,asalsoinfroth。As,then,skinswhicharewhitebyreasonofsomeaffectiondifferfromthosewhitebynature,soalsointhehairthewhitenessduetodiseaseoragediffersfromthatduetonatureinthatthecauseisdifferent;thelatterarewhitenedbythenaturalheat,theformerbytheexternalheat。Whitenessiscausedinallthingsbythevaporousairimprisonedinthem。Hencealsoinallanimalsnotuniformlycolouredallthepartunderthebellyiswhiter。Forpracticallyallwhiteanimalsarebothhotterandbetterflavouredforthesamereason;theconcoctionoftheirnutrimentmakesthemwell—flavoured,andheatcausestheconcoction。Thesamecauseholdsforthoseanimalswhichareuniformly—coloured,buteitherdarkorwhite;heatandcoldarethecausesofthenatureoftheskinandhair,eachofthepartshavingitsownspecialheat。
Thetonguealsovariesincolourinthesimplycolouredascomparedwiththevari—colouredanimals,andagaininthesimplycolouredwhichdifferfromoneanother,aswhiteanddark。Thereasonisthatassignedbefore,thattheskinsofthevari—colouredarevari—coloured,andtheskinsofthewhite—hairedanddark—hairedarewhiteanddarkineachcase。Nowwemustconceiveofthetongueasoneoftheexternalparts,nottakingintoaccountthefactthatitiscoveredbythemouthbutlookingonitaswedoonthehandorfoot;
thussincetheskinofthevari—colouredanimalsisnotuniformlycoloured,thisisthecauseoftheskinonthetonguebeingalsovari—coloured。
Somebirdsandsomewildquadrupedschangetheircolouraccordingtotheseasonsoftheyear。Thereasonisthat,asmenchangeaccordingtotheirage,sothesamethinghappenstothemaccordingtotheseason;forthismakesagreaterdifferencetothemthanthechangeofage。
Themoreomnivorousanimalsaremorevari—colouredtospeakgenerally,andthisiswhatmightbeexpected;thusbeesaremoreuniformlycolouredthanhornetsandwasps。Forifthefoodisresponsibleforthechangeweshouldexpectvariedfoodtoincreasethevarietyinthemovementswhichcausethedevelopmentandsointheresidualmatterofthefood,fromwhichcomeintobeinghairsandfeathersandskins。
Somuchforcoloursandhairs。
7
Astothevoice,itisdeepinsomeanimals,highinothers,inothersagainwell—pitchedandindueproportionbetweenbothextremes。
Again,insomeitisloud,inotherssmall,anditdiffersinsmoothnessandroughness,flexibilityandinflexibility。Wemustinquirethenintothecausesofeachofthesedistinctions。
Wemustsupposethenthatthesamecauseisresponsibleforhighanddeepvoicesasforthechangewhichtheyundergoinpassingfromyouthtoage。Thevoiceishigherinallotheranimalswhenyounger,butincattlethatofcalvesisdeeper。Wefindthesamethingalsointhemaleandfemalesexes;intheotherkindsofanimalsthevoiceofthefemaleishigherthanthatofthemale(thisbeingespeciallyplaininman,forNaturehasgiventhisfacultytohiminthehighestdegreebecausehealoneofanimalsmakesuseofspeechandthevoiceisthematerialofspeech),butincattletheoppositeobtains,forthevoiceofcowsisdeeperthanthatofbulls。
Nowthepurposeforwhichanimalshaveavoice,andwhatismeantby’voice’andby’sound’generally,hasbeenstatedpartlyinthetreatiseonsensation,partlyinthatonthesoul。Butsincelownessofvoicedependsonthemovementoftheairbeingslowanditshighnessonitsbeingquick,thereisadifficultyinknowingwhetheritisthatwhichmovesorthatwhichismovedthatisthecauseoftheslownessorquickness。Forsomesaythatwhatismuchismovedslowly,whatislittlequickly,andthatthequantityoftheairisthecauseofsomeanimalshavingadeepandothersahighvoice。Uptoacertainpointthisiswellsaid(foritseemstoberightlysaidinageneralwaythatthedepthdependsonacertainamountoftheairputinmotion),butnotaltogether,forifthisweretrueitwouldnotbeeasytospeakbothsoftanddeepatonce,noragainbothloudandhigh。Again,thedepthseemstobelongtothenoblernature,andinsongsthedeepnoteisbetterthanthehigh—pitchedones,thebetterlyinginsuperiority,anddepthoftonebeingasortofsuperiority。Butthendepthandheightinthevoicearedifferentfromloudnessandsoftness,andsomehigh—voicedanimalsareloud—voiced,andinlikemannersomesoft—voicedonesaredeep—voiced,andthesameappliestothetoneslyingbetweentheseextremes。Andbywhatelsecanwedefinethese(Imeanloudnessandsoftnessofvoice)exceptbythelargeandsmallamountoftheairputinmotion?Ifthenheightanddeptharetobedecidedinaccordancewiththedistinctionpostulated,theresultwillbethatthesameanimalswillbedeep—andloud—voiced,andthesamewillbehigh—andnotloud—voiced;butthisisfalse。
Thereasonofthedifficultyisthatthewords’great’and’small’,’much’and’little’areusedsometimesabsolutely,sometimesrelativelytooneanother。Whetherananimalhasagreat(orloud)voicedependsontheairwhichismovedbeingmuchabsolutely,whetherithasasmallvoicedependsonitsbeinglittleabsolutely;butwhethertheyhaveadeeporhighvoicedependsontheirbeingthusdifferentiatedinrelationtooneanother。Forifthatwhichismovedsurpassthestrengthofthatwhichmovesit,theairthatissentforthmustgoslowly;iftheopposite,quickly。Thestrong,then,onaccountoftheirstrength,sometimesmovemuchairandmakethemovementslow,sometimes,havingcompletecommandoverit,makethemovementswift。Onthesameprincipletheweakeithermovetoomuchairfortheirstrengthandsomakethemovementslow,oriftheymakeitswiftmovebutlittlebecauseoftheirweakness。
These,then,arethereasonsofthesecontrarieties,thatneitherareallyounganimalshigh—voicednoralldeep—voiced,norarealltheolder,noryetarethetwosexesthusopposed,andagainthatnotonlythesickspeakinahighvoicebutalsothoseingoodbodilycondition,and,further,thatasmenvergeonoldagetheybecomehigher—voiced,thoughthisageisoppositetothatofyouth。
Mostyounganimals,then,andmostfemalessetbutlittleairinmotionbecauseoftheirwantofpower,andareconsequentlyhigh—voiced,foralittleairiscarriedalongquickly,andinthevoicewhatisquickishigh。Butincalvesandcows,intheonecasebecauseoftheirage,intheotherbecauseoftheirfemalenature,thepartbywhichtheysettheairinmotionisnotstrong;atthesametimetheysetagreatquantityinmotionandsoaredeep—voiced;forthatwhichisbornealongslowlyisheavy,andmuchairisbornealongslowly。Andtheseanimalssetmuchinmovementwhereastheotherssetbutlittle,becausethevesselthroughwhichthebreathisfirstbornehasinthemalargeopeningandnecessarilysetsmuchairinmotion,whereasintheresttheairisbetterdispensed。Astheirageadvancesthispartwhichmovestheairgainsmorestrengthineachanimal,sothattheychangeintotheoppositecondition,thehigh—voicedbecomingdeeper—voicedthantheywere,andthedeep—voicedhigher—voiced,whichiswhybullshaveahighervoicethancalvesandcows。Nowthestrengthofallanimalsisintheirsinews,andsothoseintheprimeoflifearestronger,theyoungbeingweakerinthejointsandsinews;moreover,intheyoungtheyarenotyettense,andinthosenowgrowingoldthetensionrelaxes,whereforeboththeseagesareweakandpowerlessformovement。Andbullsareparticularlysinewy,eventheirhearts,andthereforethatpartbywhichtheysettheairinmotionisinatensestate,likeasinewystringstretchedtight。(Thattheheartofbullsisofsuchanatureisshownbythefactthataboneisactuallyfoundinsomeofthem,andbonesarenaturallyconnectedwithsinew。)
Allanimalswhencastratedchangetothefemalecharacter,andutteravoicelikethatofthefemalesbecausethesinewystrengthintheprincipleofthevoiceisrelaxed。Thisrelaxationisjustasifoneshouldstretchastringandmakeittautbyhangingsomeweightontoit,aswomendowhoweaveattheloom,fortheystretchthewarpbyattachingtoitwhatarecalled’laiai’。Forinthiswayarethetestesattachedtotheseminalpassages,andtheseagaintotheblood—vesselwhichtakesitsoriginintheheartneartheorganwhichsetsthevoiceinmotion。Henceastheseminalpassageschangetowardstheageatwhichtheyarenowabletosecretethesemen,thispartalsochangesalongwiththem。Asthischanges,thevoiceagainchanges,moreindeedinmales,butthesamethinghappensinfemalestoo,onlynotsoplainly,theresultbeingwhatsomecall’bleating’whenthevoiceisuneven。Afterthisitsettlesintothedeeporhighvoiceofthesucceedingtimeoflife。Ifthetestesareremovedthetensionofthepassagesrelaxes,aswhentheweightistakenoffthestringorthewarp;asthisrelaxes,theorganwhichmovesthevoiceisloosenedinthesameproportion。This,then,isthereasonwhythevoiceandtheformgenerallychangestothefemalecharacterincastratedanimals;itisbecausetheprincipleisrelaxeduponwhichdependsthetensionofthebody;notthat,assomesuppose,thetestesarethemselvesaganglionofmanyprinciples,butsmallchangesarethecausesofgreatones,notpersebutwhenithappensthataprinciplechangeswiththem。Fortheprinciples,thoughsmallinsize,aregreatinpotency;this,indeed,iswhatismeantbyaprinciple,thatitisitselfthecauseofmanythingswithoutanythingelsebeinghigherthanitforittodependupon。
Theheatorcoldalsooftheirhabitatcontributestomakesomeanimalsofsuchacharacterastobedeep—voiced,andothershigh—voiced。Forhotbreathbeingthickcausesdepth,coldbreathbeingthintheopposite。Thisisclearalsoinpipe—playing,forifthebreathoftheperformerishotter,thatistosayifitisexpelledasbyagroan,thenoteisdeeper。
Thecauseofroughnessandsmoothnessinthevoice,andofallsimilarinequality,isthatthepartororganthroughwhichthevoiceisconveyedisroughorsmoothorgenerallyevenoruneven。Thisisplainwhenthereisanymoistureaboutthetracheaorwhenitisroughenedbyanyaffection,forthenthevoicealsobecomesuneven。
Flexibilitydependsonthesoftnessorhardnessoftheorgan,forwhatissoftcanberegulatedandassumeanyform,whilewhatishardcannot;thusthesoftorgancanutteraloudorasmallnote,andaccordinglyahighoradeepone,sinceiteasilyregulatesthebreath,becomingitselfeasilygreatorsmall。Buthardnesscannotberegulated。
Letthisbeenoughonallthosepointsconcerningthevoicewhichhavenotbeenpreviouslydiscussedinthetreatiseonsensationandinthatonthesoul。
8
Withregardtotheteethithasbeenstatedpreviouslythattheydonotexistforasinglepurposenorforthesamepurposeinallanimals,butinsomefornutritiononly,inothersalsoforfightingandforvocalspeech。Wemust,however,consideritnotalientothediscussionofgenerationanddevelopmenttoinquireintothereasonwhythefrontteethareformedfirstandthegrinderslater,andwhythelatterarenotshedbuttheformerareshedandgrowagain。
Democritushasspokenofthesequestionsbutnotwell,forheassignsthecausetoogenerallywithoutinvestigatingthefactsinallcases。Hesaysthattheearlyteethareshedbecausetheyareformedinanimalstooearly,foritiswhenanimalsarepracticallyintheirprimethattheygrowaccordingtoNature,andsucklingisthecauseheassignsfortheirbeingfoundtooearly。Yetthepigalsosucklesbutdoesnotsheditsteeth,and,further,alltheanimalswithcarnivorousdentitionsuckle,butsomeofthemdonotshedanyteethexceptthecanines,e。g。lions。Thismistake,then,wasduetohisspeakinggenerallywithoutexaminingwhathappensinallcases;
butthisiswhatwetodo,foranyonewhomakesanygeneralstatementmustspeakofalltheparticularcases。
Nowweassume,basingourassumptionuponwhatwesee,thatNatureneverfailsnordoesanythinginvainsofarasispossibleineachcase。Anditisnecessary,ifananimalistoobtainfoodafterthetimeoftakingmilkisover,thatitshouldhaveinstrumentsforthetreatmentofthefood。If,then,asDemocritussays,thishappenedaboutthetimeofreachingmaturity,Naturewouldfailinsomethingpossibleforhertodo。And,besides,theoperationofNaturewouldbecontrarytoNature,forwhatisdonebyviolenceiscontrarytoNature,anditisbyviolencethathesaystheformationofthefirstteethisbroughtabout。Thatthisviewthenisnottrueisplainfromtheseandothersimilarconsiderations。
Nowtheseteetharedevelopedbeforetheflatteeth,inthefirstplacebecausetheirfunctionisearlier(fordividingcomesbeforecrushing,andtheflatteethareforcrushing,theothersfordividing),inthesecondplacebecausethesmallerisnaturallydevelopedquickerthanthelarger,evenifbothstarttogether,andtheseteetharesmallerinsizethanthegrinders,becausetheboneofthejawisflatinthatpartbutnarrowtowardsthemouth。Fromthegreaterpart,therefore,mustflowmorenutrimenttoformtheteeth,andfromthenarrowerpartless。
Theactofsuckinginitselfcontributesnothingtotheformationoftheteeth,buttheheatofthemilkmakesthemappearmorequickly。
Aproofofthisisthateveninsucklinganimalsthoseyoungwhichenjoyhottermilkgrowtheirteethquicker,heatbeingconducivetogrowth。
Theyareshed,aftertheyhavebeenformed,partlybecauseitisbetterso(forwhatissharpissoonblunted,sothatafreshrelayisneededforthework,whereastheflatteethcannotbebluntedbutareonlysmoothedintimebywearingdown),partlyfromnecessitybecause,whiletherootsofthegrindersarefixedwherethejawisflatandthebonestrong,thoseofthefrontteethareinathinpart,sothattheyareweakandeasilymoved。Theygrowagainbecausetheyareshedwhiletheboneisstillgrowingandtheanimalisstillyoungenoughtogrowteeth。Aproofofthisisthateventheflatteethgrowforalongtime,thelastofthemcuttingthegumatabouttwentyyearsofage;indeedinsomecasesthelastteethhavebeengrowninquiteoldage。Thisisbecausethereismuchnutrimentinthebroadpartofthebones,whereasthefrontpartbeingthinsoonreachesperfectionandnoresidualmatterisfoundinit,thenutrimentbeingconsumedinitsowngrowth。
Democritus,however,neglectingthefinalcause,reducestonecessityalltheoperationsofNature。Nowtheyarenecessary,itistrue,butyettheyareforafinalcauseandforthesakeofwhatisbestineachcase。Thusnothingpreventstheteethfrombeingformedandbeingshedinthisway;butitisnotonaccountofthesecausesbutonaccountoftheend(orfinalcause);thesearecausesonlyinthesenseofbeingthemovingandefficientinstrumentsandthematerial。SoitisreasonablethatNatureshouldperformmostofheroperationsusingbreathasaninstrument,forassomeinstrumentsservemanyusesinthearts,e。g。thehammerandanvilinthesmith’sart,sodoesbreathinthelivingthingsformedbyNature。Buttosaythatnecessityistheonlycauseismuchasifweshouldthinkthatthewaterhasbeendrawnofffromadropsicalpatientonaccountofthelancet,notonaccountofhealth,forthesakeofwhichthelancetmadetheincision。
Wehavethusspokenoftheteeth,sayingwhysomeareshedandgrowagain,andothersnot,andgenerallyforwhatcausetheyareformed。Andwehavespokenoftheotheraffectionsofthepartswhicharefoundtooccurnotforanyfinalendbutofnecessityandonaccountofthemotiveorefficientcause。