Epi de ge tês enantias tês ekkritikês anoignytai men to stoma, proerchetai d' ho pythmên || hapas hoson hoion t' 151 engytatô tou stomatos apôthoumenos exô to embryon, hama d' autô kai ta synechê merê ta hoion pleura tou pantos organou synepilambanomena tou ergou thlibei te kai proôthei pan exô to embryon. kai pollais tôn gynaikôn ôdines biaioi tas mêtras holas ekpesein ênankasan ametrôs chrêsamenais tê toiautê dynamei, paraplêsiou tinos gignomenou tô pollakis en palais tisi kai philoneikiais symbainonti, hotan anatrepsai te kai katabalein heterous speudontes autoi synkatapesômen. houtô gar kai hai mêtrai to embryon ôthousai synexepeson eniote kai malisth', hotan hoi pros tên rhachin autôn syndesmoi chalaroi physei tynchanôsin ontes. Esti de kai touto thaumaston ti tês physeôs sophisma, to zôntos men tou kyêmatos akribôs pany memykenai to stoma tôn mêtrôn, apothanontos de parachrêma dianoigesthai tosouton, hoson eis tên exodon autou diapherei. kai mentoi kai hai maiai tas tiktousas ouk euthys anistasin oud' epi ton diphron kathizousin, all' haptontai proteron anoigomenou tou stomatos || kata brachy kai 152 prôton men, hôste ton mikron daktylon kathienai, diestêkenai phasin, epeit' êdê kai meizon kai kata brachy dê pynthanomenois hêmin apokrinontai to megethos tês diastaseôs epauxanomenon. hotan d' hikanon ê pros tên tou kyoumenou diodon, anistasin autas kai kathizousi kai prothymeisthai keleuousin apôsasthai to paidion. esti d' êdê touto to ergon, ho par' heautôn hai kyousai prostitheasin, ouketi tôn hysterôn, alla tôn kat' epigastrion myôn, hoi pros tên apopatêsin te kai tên ourêsin hêmin synergousin. IV Thus the two faculties are clearly to be seen in the case of the uterus; in the case of the _stomach_ they appear as follows:--Firstly in the condition of _gurgling_, which physicians are persuaded, and with reason, to be a symptom of weakness of the stomach; for sometimes when the very smallest quantity of food has been ingested this does not occur, owing to the fact that the stomach is contracting accurately upon the food and constricting it at every point; sometimes when the stomach is full the gurglings yet make themselves heard as though it were empty. For if it be in a natural condition, employing its contractile faculty in the ordinary way, then, even if its contents be very small, it grasps the whole of them and does not leave any empty space. When it is weak, however, being unable to lay hold of its contents accurately, it produces a certain amount of vacant space, and allows the liquid contents to flow about in different directions in accordance with its changes of shape, and so to produce gurglings.