Stephanus 79

79a food and drink it has caught up, it melts them, dividing them into small bits, and conducting them along through the outlets by which it makes its way, it draws them, like water from a spring into channels, up into the veins, and makes the streams of the veins flow through the body as through a watercourse.

Let us look again at the phenomenon of breathing, and at the causes by whose help it has come to be such as it now is. It was in this way, then: 79b since there is no void into which any of the things that move could enter, and the breath moves out from us, what follows is plain to everyone—it goes not into a void but pushes the air next to it from its seat; and what is pushed always drives on its own neighbor, and under this necessity everything, driven round in a circle, comes back to the seat from which the breath went out, entering there and filling it up; and it falls in with the breath, and all of it together 79c swings round like a wheel, because void is nothing at all. This is why the breath let go from the chest and the lung becomes full again by the air about the body, which sinks in through the porous flesh and is driven round; and again, when the air is turned back and goes out through the body, it pushes the breath inward by the passage of the mouth and nostrils. The cause of the thing's first arising must be set down 79d as this: every living creature has that part of itself which lies about the blood and the veins warmest of all, like a spring of fire dwelling within it; and this we likened just now to the mesh of the net, stretched through the middle, woven all of fire, while everything else outside it is of air. The hot, then, must be granted to go out by nature to its own place, toward its kindred; and there being two ways out, one outward through the body, the other again 79e by the mouth and the nostrils, whenever it rushes toward the one it drives what is there round to the other; and what is pushed, falling in upon the fire, grows hot, and what passes out grows cold. And when the heat shifts over, and those at the other outlet become the warmer, again the warmer inclines that way the more, borne toward its own nature, and pushes the part at the other round; and this, forever suffering the same and returning the same, keeps a circle thus shaken this way and that, and from the two together affords that inhalation and exhalation come to be.

Timaeus: and also of the affections connected with the physicians' cupping instruments

79a food and drink, it melts them; and cutting them into small pieces it carries them out along the passages it travels through, as if pumping from a spring through channels into the veins, and makes the streams of the veins flow through the body like water in a pipe.

Let us look again at the experience of breathing, and at the causes that have made it what it now is. Here is how it works. 79b Since there is no empty space into which anything in motion could enter, and our breath is carried outward, the next step is clear to everyone: it does not go into a void, but pushes what is next to it out of its place; and what is pushed always drives on what is next to it, and by this necessity everything is driven round to the place where the breath left, and entering there and filling it up, it follows along with the breath, and all of this happens at once 79c like a wheel turning round, because there is no void. That is why, when the chest and the lung let the breath out, they become full again as the air around the body slips in through the porous flesh and is driven round; and when the air turns back and goes out through the body, it pushes the breath back inward through the passage of the mouth and the nostrils. The cause of the start of all this we must set down 79d as follows. Every animal has the hottest part of itself inside, around the blood and the veins, as if it had a kind of spring of fire within it; and we compared this to the net of the fish trap, all woven of fire and stretched through the middle, while everything outside it is of air. We must agree that the hot, by its own nature, goes outward to its own place, to what is kin to it; and since there are two ways out, one outward through the body, the other 79e through the mouth and the nose, when it rushes out the one way it pushes the other way around, and what is pushed falls in with the fire and grows hot, while what goes out grows cool. As the heat changes over and the stuff along the other exit grows hotter, the hotter part leans back that way again, carried toward its own nature, and pushes what is on the other side around; and what always suffers the same and gives back the same, being shaken back and forth in a circle like this, is what produces breathing in and breathing out.

Timaeus: And so too with the effects around the medical cupping glasses,

79a and lays hold on the meats and drinks, it dissolves them, and dividing them into small particles it disperses them through the outlets by which it passes and draws them off to the veins, like water drawn into channels from a spring; and thus it causes the streams of the veins to flow through the body as through a pipe.

Once again let us consider the process of respiration, and the causes in virtue of which it has come to be such as it now is. 79b This, then, is the way of it. Inasmuch as no void exists into which any of the moving bodies could enter, while the breath from us moves outwards, what follows is plain to everyone— namely, that the breath does not enter a void but pushes the adjacent body from its seat; and the body thus displaced drives out in turn the next; and by this law of necessity every such body is driven round towards the seat from which the breath went out and enters therein, filling it up and following the breath; and all this takes place as one simultaneous process, like a revolving wheel, because that no void exists. 79c Wherefore the region of the chest and that of the lungs when they let out the breath become filled again by the air surrounding the body, which filters in through the porous flesh and circulates round. And again, when the air is repelled and passes out through the body it pushes the inspired air round and in by way of the passages of the mouth and of the nostrils. The originating cause 79d of these processes we must assume to be this. Every living creature has its inward parts round the blood and the veins extremely hot, as it were a fount of fire residing within it; and this region we have, in fact, likened to the envelope of the fish-weel, saying that all that was extended at its middle was woven of fire, whereas all the other and outward parts were of air. Now we must agree that heat, by Nature’s law, goes out into its own region to its kindred substance; and inasmuch as there are two outlets, the one out by way of the body, 79e the other by way of the mouth and the nose, whenever the fire rushes in one direction it propels the air round to the other, and the air which is thus propelled round becomes heated by streaming into the fire, whereas the air which passes out becomes cooled. And as the heat changes its situation and the particles about the other outlet become hotter, the hotter body in its turn tends in that direction, and moving towards its own substance propels round the air which is at the former outlet; and thus the air, by continually undergoing and transmitting the same affections, causes inspiration and expiration to come about as a result of this double process, as it were a wheel that oscillates backwards and forwards.

Timaeus: Moreover, we must trace out in this way the causes of the phenomena connected with medical cupping-glasses,