PARTS OF ANIMALS 



unhealthy a-oKpicn^ (abscession) — a very common 

 term in Ilept Suxlti]^ (see chh. 58 foil, throughout). 

 It occurs twice in De pariibus. In both places it is 

 used of a Tzepl-rMiJxi. At 690 a 9 the surplus earthy 

 matter diroKpuTiv Xapf^av^i , and forms a continuous 

 nail or hoof. At 681 b S5 Aristotle speaks of the 

 place where the (r-eppo-iKij or the TrepLTTOjpo.nK-q 

 d-oKpiCTLs is effected ; and here d-oKpta-ts seems to 

 mean simply " act of excretion." The meaning of 

 the term seems both here and in Hippocrates to be 

 specially associated with 7reptTTw//a-a, either useful 

 ones, or useless and even harmful ones. A great 

 deal of Ilept SiaiT/;? is taken up with suggestions for 

 getting rid of harmful diroKpicreLS. 



The meaning of d-oKpLan^ is therefore wider than 

 " excretion " or " secretion," as used in their present 

 usual sense, though these are included among its 

 meanings. 



Tb p^kkov Kal rJTTov, " the more and less," see 

 above, p. 19, and Gen. An. (Loeb), Introd. §§ 70 ff. 



Translations of Aristotle's Zoology 



The history of the translation of Aristotle's works Transia- 

 begins with the Nestorian Christians of Asia Minor, Aristotle's 

 who were familiar with the Greek language as their zoological 

 service-books were written in it, and before the 

 coming of the Arabs they had translated some of the 

 works of Aristotle and Galen into Syriac. Before 



