ARISTOTLE 



To, ofioiofxeprj fiopia, the "uniform parts" 

 To, dvofJiOLOfieprj [lopia, the "non-uniform parts" 



(19) At G.A. 724 b 23 if., Aristotle classifies the substances 

 found in the body into five divisions, one of which is 

 Two sorts " natural parts," " and this division he subdivides into 



of "parts." "uniform parts" and "non-uniform parts." As 



examples of " uniform parts " he cites {P. A, 647 b 10 ff.) 

 blood, serum, lard, suet, marrow, semen, bile, milk, 

 flesh * (these are soft and " fluid " " ones) ; also bone, 

 fish-spine, sinew, blood-vessel (these are hard and 

 " solid " ones). And although in some cases the same 

 name is applied to the substance out of which the whole 

 is made and to the whole that is made out of it,"* this is 

 not true in all cases. Examples of " non-uniform " 

 parts are {P. A. 640 b 20) face, hand, foot. 

 Relation (20) The relation of the " uniform " to the " non-uniform " 

 between parts Aristotle describes as follows {P. A. 647 b 22 fF.) : 



them. ^^^ some of the vmiform parts are the material out of 



which the non-uniform are made (i.e., each instru- 

 mental part is made out of bones, sinews, flesh, etc.) ; 



(b) some, viz., " fluid " ones, serve as nourishment for 

 those in class (a), since all growth is derived from 

 fluid matter ; 



(c) some are " residues " ' from those in class (6), e.g., 

 faeces, urine. 



Thus it is not possible to equate this division into uni- 

 form and non-imiform parts with the more modern 

 division into tissues and organs ; for instance, blood, 

 though a uniform part, is not a tissue. The term 

 " organs," on the other hand, corresponds closely with 

 Aristotle's own description of the non-uniform parts 

 {P. A. 647 b 23) as rd dpyavi/cd (idpr), " the instrumental 

 parts." 

 (21) The fundamental difference between the two sorts of 

 " parts " is that each of the uniform parts has its own 

 definite character as a substance (in the modern sense), 



« Thismust not be taken to imply the existence of MWw«<Mrai" parts." 

 i> Some of these are also " residues " ; see below, § 65. 

 <: For the meaning of " fluid " and " solid," see below, § 38. 

 •t e.g., we speak of " bone " and " a bone " ; Aristotle's own example 

 Is *' blood-vessel." 

 <■ See § 65. 



xlviii 



