GREEK BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 



" But if men and animals and their several 

 parts are natural phenomena, then the natural 

 philosopher must take into consideration not 

 merely the ultimate substances of which they 

 are made, but also flesh, bone, blood, and all 

 the other homogeneous parts; not only these, 

 but also the heterogeneous parts, such as face, 

 hand, foot; and must examine how each of 

 these comes to be what it is, and in virtue of 

 what force. For to say what are the ultimate 

 substances out of which an animal is formed 

 ... is no more sufficient that would be a similar 

 account in the case of a couch or the like. 

 For we should not be content to say that the 

 couch was made of bronze or wood, but should 

 try to describe its design or mode of composi- 

 tion in preference to material; or, if we deal 

 with the material, it would at any rate be with 

 the concretion of material and form. For a 

 couch is such and such a form embodied in 

 this or that matter, or such and such matter 

 with this or that form; so that its shape and 

 structure must be included in our description. 

 For the formal nature is of greater importance 

 than the material nature." 



Aristotle then shows, on the other hand, 

 that shape and color do not make the essence 



[64] 



