meteorology-第22节

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corresponding　natural　destruction；　and　this　becoming　and　this



destruction　are　found　in　plants　and　animals　and　their　parts。　True



natural　becoming　is　a　change　introduced　by　these　powers　into　the



matter　underlying　a　given　thing　when　they　are　in　a　certain　ratio　to



that　matter；　which　is　the　passive　qualities　we　have　mentioned。　When



the　hot　and　the　cold　are　masters　of　the　matter　they　generate　a



thing：　if　they　are　not；　and　the　failure　is　partial；　the　object　is



imperfectly　boiled　or　otherwise　unconcocted。　But　the　strictest　general



opposite　of　true　becoming　is　putrefaction。　All　natural　destruction



is　on　the　way　to　it；　as　are；　for　instance；　growing　old　or　growing　dry。



Putrescence　is　the　end　of　all　these　things；　that　is　of　all　natural



objects；　except　such　as　are　destroyed　by　violence：　you　can　burn；　for



instance；　flesh；　bone；　or　anything　else；　but　the　natural　course　of



their　destruction　ends　in　putrefaction。　Hence　things　that　putrefy



begin　by　being　moist　and　end　by　being　dry。　For　the　moist　and　the　dry



were　their　matter；　and　the　operation　of　the　active　qualities　caused



the　dry　to　be　determined　by　the　moist。



　　Destruction　supervenes　when　the　determined　gets　the　better　of　the



determining　by　the　help　of　the　environment　（though　in　a　special



sense　the　word　putrefaction　is　applied　to　partial　destruction；　when



a　thing's　nature　is　perverted）。　Hence　everything；　except　fire；　is



liable　to　putrefy；　for　earth；　water；　and　air　putrefy；　being　all　of



them　matter　relatively　to　fire。　The　definition　of　putrefaction　is：　the



destruction　of　the　peculiar　and　natural　heat　in　any　moist　subject　by



external　heat；　that　is；　by　the　heat　of　the　environment。　So　since



lack　of　heat　is　the　ground　of　this　affection　and　everything　in　as



far　as　it　lacks　heat　is　cold；　both　heat　and　cold　will　be　the　causes　of



putrefaction；　which　will　be　due　indifferently　to　cold　in　the



putrefying　subject　or　to　heat　in　the　environment。



　　This　explains　why　everything　that　putrefies　grows　drier　and　ends



by　becoming　earth　or　dung。　The　subject's　own　heat　departs　and　causes



the　natural　moisture　to　evaporate　with　it；　and　then　there　is　nothing



left　to　draw　in　moisture；　for　it　is　a　thing's　peculiar　heat　that



attracts　moisture　and　draws　it　in。　Again；　putrefaction　takes　place



less　in　cold　that　in　hot　seasons；　for　in　winter　the　surrounding　air



and　water　contain　but　little　heat　and　it　has　no　power；　but　in　summer



there　is　more。　Again；　what　is　frozen　does　not　putrefy；　for　its　cold　is



greater　that　the　heat　of　the　air　and　so　is　not　mastered；　whereas



what　affects　a　thing　does　master　it。　Nor　does　that　which　is　boiling　or



hot　putrefy；　for　the　heat　in　the　air　being　less　than　that　in　the



object　does　not　prevail　over　it　or　set　up　any　change。　So　too



anything　that　is　flowing　or　in　motion　is　less　apt　to　putrefy　than　a



thing　at　rest；　for　the　motion　set　up　by　the　heat　in　the　air　is



weaker　than　that　pre…existing　in　the　object；　and　so　it　causes　no



change。　For　the　same　reason　a　great　quantity　of　a　thing　putrefies　less



readily　than　a　little；　for　the　greater　quantity　contains　too　much



proper　fire　and　cold　for　the　corresponding　qualities　in　the



environment　to　get　the　better　of。　Hence；　the　sea　putrefies　quickly



when　broken　up　into　parts；　but　not　as　a　whole；　and　all　other　waters



likewise。　Animals　too　are　generated　in　putrefying　bodies；　because



the　heat　that　has　been　secreted；　being　natural；　organizes　the



particles　secreted　with　it。



　　So　much　for　the　nature　of　becoming　and　of　destruction。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　2







　　We　must　now　describe　the　next　kinds　of　processes　which　the　qualities



already　mentioned　set　up　in　actually　existing　natural　objects　as



matter。



　　Of　these　concoction　is　due　to　heat；　its　species　are　ripening；



boiling；　broiling。　Inconcoction　is　due　to　cold　and　its　species　are



rawness；　imperfect　boiling；　imperfect　broiling。　（We　must　recognize



that　the　things　are　not　properly　denoted　by　these　words：　the　various



classes　of　similar　objects　have　no　names　universally　applicable　to



them；　consequently　we　must　think　of　the　species　enumerated　as　being



not　what　those　words　denote　but　something　like　it。）　Let　us　say　what



each　of　them　is。　Concoction　is　a　process　in　which　the　natural　and



proper　heat　of　an　object　perfects　the　corresponding　passive　qualities；



which　are　the　proper　matter　of　any　given　object。　For　when　concoction



has　taken　place　we　say　that　a　thing　has　been　perfected　and　has　come　to



be　itself。　It　is　the　proper　heat　of　a　thing　that　sets　up　this



perfecting；　though　external　influences　may　contribute　in　some



degrees　to　its　fulfilment。　Baths；　for　instance；　and　other　things　of



the　kind　contribute　to　the　digestion　of　food；　but　the　primary　cause　is



the　proper　heat　of　the　body。　In　some　cases　of　concoction　the　end　of



the　process　is　the　nature　of　the　thing…nature；　that　is；　in　the　sense



of　the　formal　cause　and　essence。　In　other　cases　it　leads　to　some



presupposed　state　which　is　attained　when　the　moisture　has　acquired



certain　properties　or　a　certain　magnitude　in　the　process　of　being



broiled　or　boiled　or　of　putrefying；　or　however　else　it　is　being



heated。　This　state　is　the　end；　for　when　it　has　been　reached　the



thing　has　some　use　and　we　say　that　concoction　has　taken　place。　Must　is



an　instance　of　this；　and　the　matter　in　boils　when　it　becomes　purulent；



and　tears　when　they　become　rheum；　and　so　with　the　rest。



　　　　Concoction　ensues　whenever　the　matter；　the　moisture；　is



mastered。　For　the　matter　is　what　is　determined　by　the　heat



connatural　to　the　object；　and　as　long　as　the　ratio　between　them　exists



in　it　a　thing　maintains　its　nature。　Hence　things　like　the　liquid　and



solid　excreta　and　ejecta　in　general　are　signs　of　health；　and



concoction　is　said　to　have　taken　place　in　them；　for　they　show　that　the



proper　heat　has　got　the　better　of　the　indeterminate　matter。



　　Things　that　undergo　a　process　of　concoction　necessarily　become



thicker　and　hotter；　for　the　action　of　heat　is　to　make　things　more



compact；　thicker；　and　drier。



　　This　then　is　the　nature　of　concoction：　but　inconcoction　is　an



imperfect　state　due　to　lack　of　proper　heat；　that　is；　to　cold。　That



of　which　the　imperfect　state　is；　is　the　corresponding　passive



qualities　which　are　the　natural　matter　of　anything。



　　So　much　for　the　definition　of　concoction　and　inconcoction。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　3







　　Ripening　is　a　sort　of　concoction；　for　we　call　it　ripening　when　there



is　a　concoction　of　the　nutriment　in　fruit。　And　since　concoction　is　a



sort　of　perfecting；　the　process　of　ripening　is　perfect　when　the



seeds　in　fruit　are　able　to　reproduce　the　fruit　in　which　they　are



found；　for　in　all　other　cases　as　well　this　is　what　we　mean　by



'perfect'。　This　is　what　'ripening'　means　when　the　word　is　applied　to



fruit。　However；　many　other　things　that　have　undergone　concoction　are



said　to　be　'ripe'；　the　general　character　of　the　process　being　the



same；　though　the　word　is　applied　by　an　extension　of　meaning。　The



reason　for　this　extension　is；　as　we　explained　before；　that　the　various



modes　in　which　natural　heat　and　cold　perfect　the　matter　they　determine



have　not　special　names　appropriated　to　them。　In　the　case　of　boils



and　phlegm；　and　the　like；　the　process　of　ripening　is　the　concoction　of



the　moisture　in　them　by　their　natural　heat；　for　only　that　which　gets



the　better　of　matter　can　determine　it。　So　everything　that　ripens　is



condensed　from　a　spirituous　into　a　watery　state；　and　from　a　watery



into　an　earthy　state；　and　in　general　from　being　rare　becomes　dense。　In



this　process　the　nature　of　the　thing　that　is　ripening　incorporates



some　of　the　matter　in　itself；　and　some　it　rejects。　So　much　for　the



definition　of　ripening。



　　Rawness　is　its　opposite　and　is　therefore　an　imperfect　concoction



of　the　nutriment　in　the　fruit；　namely；　of　the　undetermined　moisture。



Consequently　a　raw　thing　is　either　spirituous　or　watery　or　contains



both　spirit　and　water。　Ripening　being　a　kind　of　perfecting；　rawness



will　be　an　imperfect　state；　and　this　state　is　due　to　a　lack　of　natural



heat　and　its　disproportion　to　the　moisture　that　is　undergoing　the



process　of　ripening。　（Nothing　moist　ripens　without　the　admixture　of



some　dry　matter：　water　alone　of　liquids　does　not　thicken。）　This



disproportion　may　be　due　either　to　defect　of　heat　or　to　excess　of



the　matter　to　be　determined：　hence　the　juice　of　raw　things　is　thin；



cold　rather　than　hot；　and　unfit　for　food　or　drink。　Rawness；　like



ripening；　is　used　to　denote　a　variety　of　states。　Thus　the　liquid　and



solid　excreta　and　catarrhs　are　called　raw　for　the　same　reason；　for



in　every　case　the　word　is　applied　to　things　because　their　heat　has　not



got　the　mastery　in　them　and　compacted　them。　If　we　go　further；　brick　is



called　raw　and　so　is　milk　and　many　other　things　too