PARTS OF ANIMALS, II. v. 



is of an earthy character ; it contains but Httle 

 water against a large proportion of earth ; so it 

 congeals just as fibrous blood and broths do. So 

 too the animals which have horns but have teeth 

 in one jaw only contain suet. And it is clear that 

 their natural constitution is full of this element 

 (earth) from the fact that they have horns and huckle- 

 bones, for they are all of them solid and earthy in 

 constitution. On the other hand, the animals which 

 have incisor teeth in both jaws and have toes (not 

 uncloven hoofs), but no horns, contain lard instead 

 of suet. Lard neither congeals nor splits up into 

 small pieces when it dries, owing to the fact that 

 it is not earthy. 



Lard and suet when present in the parts of animals 

 in moderate quantities are beneficial : they do not 

 hinder the action of the senses, and they contribute 

 towards the health and strength of the body. But 

 when the amount of them is excessive they are 

 destructive and injurious. This is shown by the 

 consideration that if the whole body were to become 

 lard and suet, it would perish. The sine qua non of a 

 living creature is its sensory part, which is flesh or its 

 counterpart ; and since, as I have said before, blood 

 is not sensitive, neither lard nor suet, which are just 

 concocted blood, is sensitive. Therefore, if the whole 

 body were to become either of these, it would have 

 no sensation whatever. For this reason, too, unduly 

 fat animals age quickly : their blood gets used up to 

 produce fat, so there is very little of it left ; and 

 anything that has but little blood is well on the road 

 to decay. In fact, decay is just a form of blood- 

 deficiency ; and an animal deficient in blood is 

 easily susceptible to the effects of accidental cold and 



143 



