But surely it is impossible that the same article of diet can produce in certain persons bile and in others blood, if it be not that the genesis of these humours is accomplished _in the body_. For if all articles of food contained bile from the beginning and of themselves, and did not produce it by undergoing change in the animal body, then they would produce it similarly in all bodies; the food which was bitter to the taste would, I take it, be productive of bile, while that which tasted good and sweet would not generate even the smallest quantity of bile. Moreover, not only honey but all other sweet substances are readily converted into bile in the aforesaid bodies which are warm for any of the reasons mentioned. Well, I have somehow or other been led into this discussion,--not in accordance with my plan, but compelled by the course of the argument. This subject has been treated at great length by Aristotle and Praxagoras, who have correctly expounded the view of Hippocrates and Plato. VIII Kai taut' ouk echrên agnoein ton Erasistraton, eiper kan onar pote tois ek tou peripatou synetychen, hôsper oun oude ta peri tês geneseôs tôn chymôn, hyper hôn ouden echôn eipein oude mechri tou metriou pithanon oietai parakrouesthai skêptomenos, hôs oude chrêsimos holôs estin hê tôn toioutôn episkepsis. eit', ô pros theôn, hopôs men ta sitia kata tên gastera pettetai chrêsimon epistasthai, pôs d' en tais phlepsin hê cholê gignetai, peritton? kai tês kenôseôs ara phrontisteon autês monês, amelêteon de tês geneseôs? hôsper ouk ameinon hyparchon makrô to kôlyein euthys ex archês gennasthai pleiona tou pragmat' echein ekkenountas. thaumaston de kai to diaporein, eit' en tô sômati tên genesin autês hypotheteon eit' euthys exôthen en tois sitiois periechesthai phateon. ei gar dê touto kalôs êporêtai, ti ouchi kai peri tou haimatos episkepsometha, poteron en tô sômati || lambanei tên genesin ê tois sitiois 108 parespartai, kathaper hoi tas homoiomereias hypotithemenoi phasi? kai mên pollô g' ên chrêsimôteron zêteisthai, poia tôn sitiôn homologei tê tês haimatôseôs energeia kai poia diapheretai, tou zêtein, tina men tê tês gastros energeia nikatai rhadiôs, tina d' antibainei kai machetai. toutôn men gar hê eklexis eis pepsin monên, ekeinôn d' eis haimatos chrêstou diapherei genesin. oude gar ison estin ê mê kalôs en tê gastri chylôthênai tên trophên ê mê chrêston haima gennêthênai. pôs d' ouk aideitai tas men tês pepseôs apotychias diairoumenos, hôs pollai t' eisi kai kata pollas gignontai prophaseis, hyper de tôn tês haimatôseôs sphalmatôn oud' achri rhêmatos henos oud' achri syllabês mias phthenxamenos? kai mên heurisketai ge kai pachy kai lepton en tais phlepsin haima kai tois men erythroteron, tois de xanthoteron, tois de melanteron, tois de phlegmatôdesteron. ei d' hoti kai dysôdes ouch hena tropon all' en pollais pany diaphorais arrhêtois men