[p. 21]which naturally derive therefrom.| Various secondary or derivative differences in the tissues. Note pre-eminence of sense of touch. |
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. 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| Lit. homoeomerous=of similar parts throughout, "the same all through." He refers to the elementary tissues, conceived as not being susceptible of further analysis. |
parts of the body, and these are to be detected not by any system, but by personal observation of dissections.| That is, by the bodily eye, and not by the mind's eye. The observer is here called an autoptes or "eye-witness." Our medical term autopsy thus means literally a persona inspection of internal parts, ordinarily hidden. |
Now Nature constructs bone, cartilage, nerve, membrane, ligament, vein, and so forth, at the first stage of the animal's genesis |
i.e. "alteration" is the earlier of the two stages which constitute embryogeny or "genesis." cf. p. 18, note 1. |
, 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
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