198 ERRORS ATTRIBUTED TO ARISTOTLE. 



laginous and fibrous bands ; where they are connected it is hollow. 

 Blowing into the windpipe does not show clearly in some animals, 

 but in the larger animals it is clear that the air goes into it." 



Aubert and Wimmer give a somewhat different ren- 

 dering of this passage : 



"Auch das Herz hangt mit der Luftrohre durch fettreiche, 

 knorpelige und faserige Bander zusammen ; und da, wo sie zusam- 

 menhangen, ist eine Hohlung. Beim Auf blasen der Lunge wird es 

 bei manchen Thieren nicht wahrnehmbar, bei den grosseren aber 

 ist es offenbar, dass die Luft in das Herz gelangt." 



The sense here turns upon the signification which is 

 to be ascribed to efc avrrjv. But if these words refer to 

 the heart, then Aristotle has distinctly pointed out the 

 road which the air, in his opinion, takes, namely, through 

 the " synapses " (D) ; and there is no reason that I can 

 discover to believe that he " postulated " any other and 

 more direct communication. 



With respect to the meaning of KOL\OV ICTTLV^ Aubert 

 and Wimmer observe : 



" Dies scheint wohl die kurze Lungenvene zu sein. Schneider 

 bezieht dies auf die Yorkammern, allein diese werden unten als 

 Hohlen des Herzens beschrieben." 



I am disposed to think, on the contrary, that the 

 words refer simply to the cavity of the pericardium. 

 For a part of this cavity (sinus transversus pericardii) 

 lies between the aorta, on the one hand, and the pul- 

 monary vessels with the bifurcation of the trachea, on 

 the other hand, and is much more conspicuous in some 

 animals than in man. It is strictly correct, therefore, in 

 Aristotle's words, to say that where the heart and the 



