Aristotle's History of Animals: In Ten Books — Aristotle — John Shaqi
Aristotle's History of Animals: In Ten Books
Aristotle · en
2. First of all, the brain is placed in the fore-part of the head, and
it occupies the same position in all animals that have this part, which
belongs to all sanguineous and cephalopodous animals. In proportion to
his size, man has the largest brain of all animals, and the moistest.
Two membranes enclose the brain: that outside the skull is the
strongest; the inner membrane is slighter than the outer one. In all
animals the brain is in two portions. The cerebellum is placed upon the
brain at its lowest extremity. It is different from the brain both to
the touch and in appearance.
3. The back of the head is empty and hollow in all animals in
proportion to their size, for some have a large head, but the part
lying under the face is less in those animals which have round faces;
others have a small head and large jaws, as the whole tribe of Lophuri.
In all animals the brain is without blood, nor does it contain any
veins, and it is naturally cold to the touch. The greater number of
animals have a small cavity in the centre of the brain. And round this
a membrane filled with veins: this membrane is like skin, and encloses
the brain. Above the brain is the smoothest and weakest bone in the
head--it is called sinciput.
4. Three passages lead from the eye to the brain; the largest and the
middle-sized to the cerebellum, the least to the brain itself. The
least is that which is nearest the nostril; the greater are parallel,
and do not meet; but the middle-sized passages meet: this is most
evident in fishes, and these passages are nearer to the brain than the
larger, but the least separate from each other, and do not meet.
5. Within the neck is the œsophagus, which also derives its additional
name, the isthmus, from its length and narrowness, and the trachea. The
trachea lies in front of the œsophagus in all animals which possess
this part, that is, all animals which breathe from the lungs. The
trachea is cartilaginous in its nature, and contains but little blood:
it is surrounded with many smooth rings of cartilage, and it lies
upon the upper part towards the mouth, opposite the passage from the
nostril to the mouth, wherefore, also, if any liquid is drawn into it
in drinking, it passes out of the mouth through the nostrils.
6. Between the passages is the epiglottis, which can be folded over the
passage which extends from the trachea to the mouth; by the epiglottis
the passage of the tongue is closed, at the other extremity the trachea
reaches to the middle of the lungs, and afterwards divides to each
side of the lungs. For the lung is double in all animals which possess
this part, though the division is not so marked in viviparous animals,
and least of all in man. The human lungs are anomalous, neither being
divided into many lobes, as in other animals, nor being smooth.