Page:Greek Biology and Medicine.djvu/86

 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]