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On the Parts of Animals, Book III
Translated by William Ogle
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1
We have next to consider the teeth, and with these the mouth, that is the
cavity which they enclose and form. The teeth have one invariable office,
namely the reduction of food; but besides this general function they have
other special ones, and these differ in different groups. Thus in some animals
the teeth serve as weapons; but this with a distinction. For there are offensive
weapons and there are defensive weapons; and while in some animals, as the
wild Carnivora, the teeth answer both purposes, in many others, both wild and
domesticated, they serve only for defence. In man the teeth are admirably
constructed for their general office, the front ones being sharp, so as to cut the
food into bits, and the hinder ones broad and flat, so as to grind it to a pulp;
while between these and separating them are the dog-teeth, which, in
accordance with the rule that the mean partakes of both extremes, share in the
characters of those on either side, being broad in one part but sharp in another.
Similar distinctions of shape are presented by the teeth of other animals, with
the exception of those whose teeth are one and all of the sharp kind. In man,
however, the number and the character even of these sharp teeth have been
mainly determined by the requirements of speech. For the front teeth of man
contribute in many ways to the formation of letter-sounds.
In some animals, however, the teeth, as already said, serve merely for the
reduction of food. When, besides this, they serve as offensive and defensive
weapons, they may either be formed into tusks, as for instance is the case in
swine, or may be sharp-pointed and interlock with those of the opposite jaw,
in which case the animal is said to be saw-toothed. The explanation of this
latter arrangement is as follows. The strength of such an animal is in its teeth,
and these depend for their efficiency on their sharpness. In order, then, to
prevent their getting blunted by mutual friction, such of them as serve for
weapons fit into each other’s interspaces, and are so kept in proper condition.
No animal that has sharp interfitting teeth is at the same time furnished with
tusks. For nature never makes anything superfluous or in vain. She gives,
therefore, tusks to such animals as strike in fighting, and serrated teeth to such
1281
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book The Complete Aristotle"
The Complete Aristotle
- Title
- The Complete Aristotle
- Author
- Aristotle
- Date
- ~322 B.C.
- Language
- English
- License
- PD
- Size
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Pages
- 2328
- Keywords
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Categories
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International
Table of contents
- Part 1; Logic (Organon) 3
- Categories 4
- On Interpretation 34
- Prior Analytics, Book I 56
- Prior Analytics, Book II 113
- Posterior Analytics, Book I 149
- Posterior Analytics, Book II 193
- Topics, Book I 218
- Topics, Book II 221
- Topics, Book III 237
- Topics, Book IV 248
- Topics, Book V 266
- Topics, Book VI 291
- Topics, Book VII 317
- Topics, Book VIII 326
- On Sophistical Refutations 348
- Part 2; Universal Physics 396
- Physics, Book I 397
- Physics, Book II 415
- Physics, Book III 432
- Physics, Book IV 449
- Physics, Book V 481
- Physics, Book VI 496
- Physics, Book VII 519
- Physics, Book VIII 533
- On the Heavens, Book I 570
- On the Heavens, Book II 599
- On the Heavens, Book III 624
- On the Heavens, Book IV 640
- On Generation and Corruption, Book I 651
- On Generation and Corruption, Book II 685
- Meteorology, Book I 707
- Meteorology, Book II 733
- Meteorology, Book III 760
- Meteorology, Book IV 773
- Part 3; Human Physics 795
- On the Soul, Book I 796
- On the Soul, Book II 815
- On the Soul, Book III 840
- On Sense and the Sensible 861
- On Memory and Reminiscence 889
- On Sleep and Sleeplessness 899
- On Dreams 909
- On Prophesying by Dreams 918
- On Longevity and the Shortness of Life 923
- On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration 929
- Part 4; Animal Physics 952
- The History of Animals, Book I 953
- The History of Animals, Book II translated 977
- The History of Animals, Book III 1000
- The History of Animals, Book IV 1029
- The History of Animals, Book V 1056
- The History of Animals, Book VI 1094
- The History of Animals, Book VII 1135
- The History of Animals, Book VIII 1150
- The History of Animals, Book IX 1186
- On the Parts of Animals, Book I 1234
- On the Parts of Animals, Book II 1249
- On the Parts of Animals, Book III 1281
- On the Parts of Animals, Book IV 1311
- On the Motion of Animals 1351
- On the Gait of Animals 1363
- On the Generation of Animals, Book I 1381
- On the Generation of Animals, Book II 1412
- On the Generation of Animals, Book III 1444
- On the Generation of Animals, Book IV 1469
- On the Generation of Animals, Book V 1496
- Part 5; Metaphysics 1516
- Part 6; Ethics and Politics 1748
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book I 1749
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book II 1766
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book III 1779
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IV 1799
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book V 1817
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI 1836
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII 1851
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII 1872
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IX 1890
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book X 1907
- Politics, Book I 1925
- Politics, Book II 1943
- Politics, Book III 1970
- Politics, Book IV 1997
- Politics, Book V 2023
- Politics, Book VI 2053
- Politics, Book VII 2065
- Politics, Book VIII 2091
- The Athenian Constitution 2102
- Part 7; Aesthetic Writings 2156