Page:The Works of William Harvey (part 1 of 2).djvu/512

 in the generation of animals only proceed at a later period to the construction of the soft and moist and fleshy parts, as re- quiring but a short time for their concoction and formation, whilst the hard parts, such as the bones, as requiring ample evaporation and abundant drying, and their matter long re- maining inconcoct, she proceeds to fashion almost from the very beginning. " And the same thing obtains in the brain," he adds, " which, large in quantity and exceedingly moist at first, is by and by better concocted and condensed, so that the brain as well as the eye diminishes in size. The head is there- fore very large at first, in comparison with the rest of the body, which it far surpasses because of the brain and the eyes, and the large quantity of moisture contained in them. These parts, nevertheless, are among the last to be perfected, for the brain acquires consistence with difficulty, and it is long before it is freed from cold and moisture in any animal, and especially in man. The sinciput, too, is consolidated the last, the bones here being quite soft when the infant sees the light."

He gives another reason, viz. because the parts are formed of different kinds of matter : " Every more excellent part, the sharer in the highest principle is, farther, engendered from the most highly concocted, the purest and first nutriment; the other needful parts, produced for the sake of the former, from the worse and excrementitious remainder. For nature, like the sage head of a family, is wont to throw away nothing that may be turned to any useful purpose. But he still regulates his household so that the best food shall be given to his children, the more indifferent to his menials, the worst to the animals. As then, man's growth being complete and mind having been superadded, (in other words, and, as I interpret the passage, adult man having acquired sense and prudence,) things are ordered in this way, so does nature at the period of production even compose the flesh and the other more sensitive parts of the purest matter. Of the excrementitious remainder she makes the bones, sinews, hair, nails, and other parts of the same con- stitution. And this is the reason why this is done last of all, when nature has an abundant supply of recrementitious mate- rial.-" Our author then goes on to speak of " a twofold order of aliment :" " one for nutrition, another for growth ;" " the nutritive is the one which supplies existence to the whole and