Energeiai d' epi trisi tois eirêmenois ergois treis ex anankês, eph' hekastô mia, genesis te kai auxêsis kai threpsis. all' hê men genesis ouch haplê tis energeia tês physeôs, all' ex alloiôseôs te kai diaplaseôs esti synthetos. hina men gar ostoun genêtai kai neuron kai phleps kai tôn allôn hekaston, alloiousthai chrê tên hypobeblêmenên ousian, ex hês gignetai to zôon; hina de kai schêma to deon kai thesin kai koilotêtas tinas kai apophyseis kai symphyseis kai talla || ta toiauta 11 ktêsêtai, diaplattesthai chrê tên alloioumenên ousian, hên dê kai hylên tou zôou kalôn, hôs tês neôs ta xyla kai tês eikonos ton kêron, ouk an hamartois. Hê d' auxêsis epidosis esti kai diastasis kata mêkos kai platos kai bathos tôn stereôn tou zôou moriôn, hônper kai hê diaplasis ên, hê de threpsis prosthesis tois autois aneu diastaseôs. VI Let us speak then, in the first place, of Genesis, which, as we have said, results from _alteration_ together with _shaping_. The seed having been cast into the womb or into the earth (for there is no difference),[34] then, after a certain definite period, a great number of parts become constituted in the substance which is being generated; these differ as regards moisture, dryness, coldness and warmth,[35] and in all the other qualities which naturally derive therefrom.[36] These derivative qualities, you are acquainted with, if you have given any sort of scientific consideration to the question of genesis and destruction. For, first and foremost after the qualities mentioned come the other so-called _tangible_ distinctions, and after them those which appeal to taste, smell, and sight. Now, tangible distinctions are hardness and softness, viscosity, friability, lightness, heaviness, density, rarity, smoothness, roughness, thickness and thinness; all of these have been duly mentioned by Aristotle.[37] And of course you know those which appeal to taste, smell, and sight. Therefore, if you wish to know which alterative faculties are primary and elementary, they are moisture, dryness, coldness, and warmth, and if you wish to know which ones arise from the combination of these, they will be found to be in each animal of a number corresponding to its _sensible elements_. The name _sensible elements_ is given to all the _homogeneous_[38] parts of the body, and these are to be detected not by any system, but by personal observation of dissections.[39] Now Nature constructs bone, cartilage, nerve, membrane, ligament, vein, and so forth, at the first stage of the animal's genesis,[40] employing at this task a faculty which is, in general terms, generative and alterative, and, in more detail, warming, chilling, drying, or moistening; or such as spring from the blending of these, for example, the bone-producing, nerve-producing, and cartilage-producing faculties[41] (since for the sake of clearness these names must be used as well).