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ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ὡς ἐν ἑκάστῃ τῶν ἀρτηριῶν ἐστί τις δύναμις ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἐπιρρέουσα, καθ᾽ ἣν διαστέλλονταί τε καὶ συστέλλονται, δέδεικται δι᾽ ἑτέρων. εἴπερ οὖν συνθείης ἄμφω τό τε ταύτην εἶναι τὴν κίνησιν αὐταῖς τό τε πᾶν τὸ διαστελλόμενον [p. 316] ἕλκειν ἐκ τῶν πλησίον εἰς ἑαυτό, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν σοι φανεῖται τὰς ἀρτηρίας, ὅσαι μὲν εἰς τὸ δέρμα περαίνουσιν αὐτῶν, ἐπισπᾶσθαι τὸν ἔξωθεν ἀέρα διαστελλομένας, ὅσαι δὲ κατά τι πρὸς τὰς [p. 205] φλέβας ἀνεστόμωνται, τὸ λεπτότατον ἐν αὐταῖς καὶ ἀτμωδέστατον ἐπισπᾶσθαι τοῦ αἵματος, ὅσαι δ᾽ ἐγγὺς τῆς καρδίας εἰσίν, ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐκείνης ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ὁλκήν. ἐν γὰρ τῇ πρὸς τὸ κενούμενον ἀκολουθίᾳ τὸ κουφότατόν τε καὶ λεπτότατον ἕπεται πρῶτον τοῦ βαρυτέρου τε καὶ παχυτέρου: κουφότατον δ᾽ ἐστὶ καὶ λεπτότατον ἁπάντων τῶν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα πρῶτον μὲν τὸ πνεῦμα, δεύτερον δ᾽ ὁ ἀτμός, ἐπὶ τούτῳ δὲ τρίτον, ὅσον ἂν ἀκριβῶς ᾖ κατειργασμένον τε καὶ λελεπτυσμένον αἷμα. ταῦτ᾽ οὖν εἰς ἑαυτὰς ἕλκουσιν αἱ ἀρτηρίαι πανταχόθεν, αἱ μὲν εἰς τὸ δέρμα καθήκουσαι τὸν ἔξωθεν ἀέρα: πλησίον τε γὰρ αὐταῖς οὗτός ἐστι καὶ κουφότατος ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα: τῶν δ᾽ ἄλλων ἡ μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἀνιοῦσα καὶ ἡ κατὰ Ρ῾άχιν, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ὅσαι τούτων ἐγγὺς ἐξ αὐτῆς μάλιστα τῆς καρδίας: ὅσαι δὲ καὶ τῆς καρδίας πορρωτέρω καὶ τοῦ δέρματος, ἕλκειν ταύταις ἀναγκαῖον ἐκ τῶν φλεβῶν τὸ κουφότατον τοῦ αἵματος: ὥστε καὶ τῶν εἰς τὴν γαστέρα τε καὶ τὰ ἔντερα καθηκουσῶν ἀρτηριῶν τὴν ὁλκὴν ἐν τῷ διαστέλλεσθαι γίγνεσθαι παρά τε [p. 206] τῆς καρδίας αὐτῆς καὶ τῶν παρακειμένων αὐτῇ φλεβῶν παμπόλλων οὐσῶν. οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἔκ γε τῶν ἐντέρων καὶ τῆς κοιλίας τροφὴν οὕτω παχεῖάν τε καὶ βαρεῖαν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἐχόντων δύνανταί τι μεταλαμβάνειν, ὅ τι καὶ ἄξιον λόγου, φθάνουσαι πληροῦσθαι τοῖς κουφοτέροις. οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ καθεὶς [p. 318] αὐλίσκον εἰς ἀγγεῖον ὕδατός τε καὶ ψάμμου πλῆρες ἐπισπάσαιο τῷ στόματι τὸν ἐκ τοῦ αὐλίσκου ἀέρα, δύναιτ᾽ ἂν ἀκολουθῆσαί σοι πρὸ τοῦ ὕδατος ἡ ψάμμος: ἀεὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ πρὸς τὸ κενούμενον ἀκολουθίᾳ τὸ κουφότερον ἕπεται πρότερον.
On the Natural Faculties. Galen. A.J. Brock. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press. 1916.
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