GREEK BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 



might say, the end or goal of the activity cor- 

 responding to the attractive faculty. For the 

 actual bringing up of nutriment from the veins 

 into each of the parts takes place through the 

 activation of the attractive faculty, whilst to 

 have been finally brought up and presented to 

 the part is the actual end for which we desired 

 such an activity; it is attracted in order that 

 it may be presented. After this, considerable 

 time is needed for the nutrition of the animal. 

 Whilst a thing may be even rapidly attracted, 

 on the other hand to become adherent, altered, 

 and entirely assimilated to the part which is 

 being nourished and to become a part of it, 

 cannot take place suddenly, but requires a con- 

 siderable amount of time. But if the nutritive 

 juice, so presented, does not remain in the part, 

 but withdraws to another one, and keeps flow- 

 ing away, and constantly changing and shift- 

 ing its position, neither adhesion nor complete 

 assimilation will take place in any of them. 

 Here too, then, the [animal's] nature has need 

 of some other faculty for ensuring a prolonged 

 stay of the presented juice at the part, and this 

 not a faculty which comes in from somewhere 

 outside but one which is resident in the part 

 which is to be nourished. This faculty, again, 



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