Chapter XLIV: Appendix: D

CRITICISM OF ARISTOTLE'S ACCOUNT OF INDUCTION.

(_Cam. Phil. Soc._ FEB. 11, 1850.)

The Cambridge Philosophical Society has willingly admitted among its proceedings not only contributions to science, but also to the philosophy of science; and it is to be presumed that this willingness will not be less if the speculations concerning the philosophy of science which are offered to the Society involve a reference to ancient authors. Induction, the process by which general truths are collected from particular examples, is one main point in such philosophy: and the comparison of the views of Induction entertained by ancient and modern writers has already attracted much notice. I do not intend now to go into this subject at any length; but there is a cardinal passage on the subject in Aristotle's _Analytics_, (_Analyt. Prior._ II. 25) which I wish to explain and discuss. I will first translate it, making such emendations as are requisite to render it intelligible and consistent, of which I shall afterwards give an account.

I will number the sentences of this chapter of Aristotle in order that I may afterwards be able to refer to them readily.

§ 1. "We must now proceed to observe that we have to examine not only syllogisms according to the aforesaid _figures_,--syllogisms logical and demonstrative,--but also rhetorical syllogisms,--and, speaking generally, any kind of proof by which belief is influenced, following any method.

§ 2. "All belief arises either from Syllogism or from Induction: [we must now therefore treat of Induction.]

§ 3. "Induction, and the Inductive Syllogism, is when by means of one extreme term we infer the other extreme term to be true of the middle term.

§ 4. "Thus if _A_, _C_, be the extremes, and _B_ the mean, we have to show, by means of _C_, that _A_ is true of _B_.

§ 5. "Thus let _A_ be _long-lived_; _B_, _that which has no gall-bladder;_ and _C_, particular long-lived animals, as _elephant_, _horse_, _mule_.

§ 6. "Then every _C_ is _A_, for all the animals above named are long-lived.

§ 7. "Also every _C_ is _B_, for all those animals are destitute of gall-bladder.

§ 8. "If then _B_ and _C_ are convertible, and the mean (_B_) does not extend further than extreme (_C_), it necessarily follows that every _B_ is _A_.

§ 9. "For it was shown before, that, if any two things be true of the same, and if either of them be convertible with the extreme, the other of the things predicated is true of the convertible (extreme).

§ 10. "But we must conceive that _C_ consists of a collection of all the particular cases; for Induction is applied to all the cases.

§ 11. "But such a syllogism is an inference of a first truth and immediate proposition.

§ 12. "For when there is a mean term, there is a demonstrative syllogism through the mean; but when there is not a mean, there is proof by Induction.

§ 13. "And in a certain way, Induction is contrary to Syllogism; for Syllogism proves, by the middle term, that the extreme is true of the third thing: but Induction proves, by means of the third thing, that the extreme is true of the mean.

§ 14. "And Syllogism concluding by means of a middle term is prior by nature and more usual to us; but the proof by Induction, is more luminous."

I think that the chapter, thus interpreted, is quite coherent and intelligible; although at first there seems to be some confusion, from the author sometimes saying that Induction is a kind of Syllogism, and at other times that it is not. The amount of the doctrine is this.

When we collect a general proposition by Induction from particular cases, as for instance, that all animals destitute of gall-bladder (_acholous_), are long-lived, (if this proposition were true, of which hereafter,) we may express the process in the form of a Syllogism, if we will agree to make a collection of particular cases our middle term, and assume that the proposition in which the second extreme term occurs is convertible. Thus the known propositions are

Elephant, horse, mule, &c., are long-lived.
Elephant, horse, mule, &c., are _acholous_.

But if we suppose that the latter proposition is convertible, we shall have these propositions:

Elephant, horse, mule, &c., are long-lived.
All acholous animals are elephant, horse, mule, &c.,

from whence we infer, quite rigorously as to _form_,

All acholous animals are long-lived.

This mode of putting the Inductive inference shows both the strong and the weak point of the illustration of Induction by means of Syllogism. The strong point is this, that we make the inference perfect as to form, by including an indefinite collection of particular cases, elephant, horse, mule, &c., in a single term, _C_. The Syllogism then is

All _C_ are long-lived.
All acholous animals are _C_.
Therefore all acholous animals are long-lived.

The weak point of this illustration is, that, at least in some instances, when the number of actual cases is necessarily indefinite, the representation of them as a single thing involves an unauthorized step. In order to give the reasoning which really passes in the mind, we must say

Elephant, horse, &c., are long-lived.
All acholous animals are _as_ elephant, horse, &c.,
Therefore all acholous animals are long-lived.

This "_as_" must be introduced in order that the "all _C_" of the first proposition may be justified by the "_C_" of the second.

This step is, I say, necessarily unauthorized, where the number of particular cases is indefinite; as in the instance before us, the species of acholous animals. We do not know how many such species there are, yet we wish to be able to assert that _all_ acholous animals are long-lived. In the proof of such a proposition, put in a syllogistic form, there must necessarily be a logical defect; and the above discussion shows that this defect is the substitution of the proposition, "All acholous animals are _as_ elephant, &c.," for the converse of the experimentally proved proposition, "elephant, &c., are acholous."

In instances in which the number of particular cases is limited, the necessary existence of a logical flaw in the syllogistic translation of the process is not so evident. But in truth, such a flaw exists in all cases of Induction _proper_: (for Induction by _mere enumeration_ can hardly be called _Induction_). I will, however, consider for a moment the instance of a celebrated proposition which has often been taken as an example of Induction, and in which the number of particular cases is, or at least is at present supposed to be, limited. Kepler's laws, for instance the law that the planets describe ellipses, may be regarded as examples of Induction. The law was inferred, we will suppose, from an examination of the orbits of Mars, Earth, Venus. And the syllogistic illustration which Aristotle gives, will, with the necessary addition to it, stand thus,

Mars, Earth, Venus describe ellipses.
Mars, Earth, Venus are planets.

Assuming the convertibility of this last proposition, _and its universality_, (which is the necessary addition in order to make Aristotle's syllogism valid) we say

All the planets are as Mars, Earth, Venus.

Whence it follows that all the planets describe ellipses.

If, instead of this assumed universality, the astronomer had made a real enumeration, and had established the fact of each particular, he would be able to say

Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus, Mercury, describe ellipses.

Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus, Mercury are all the planets.

And he would obviously be entitled to convert the second proposition, and then to conclude that

All the planets describe ellipses.

But then, if this were given as an illustration of Induction by means of syllogism, we should have to remark, in the first place, that the conclusion that "all the planets describe ellipses," adds nothing to the major proposition, that "S., J., M., E., V., m., do so." It is merely the same proposition expressed in other words, so long as S., J., M., E., V., m., are supposed to be all the planets. And in the next place we have to make a remark which is more important; that the minor, in such an example, must generally be either a very precarious truth, or, as appears in this case, a transitory error. For that the planets known at any time are _all_ the planets, must always be a doubtful assertion, liable to be overthrown to-night by an astronomical observation. And the assertion, as received in Kepler's time, has been overthrown. For Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus, Mercury, are not all the planets. Not only have several new ones been discovered at intervals, as Uranus, Ceres, Juno, Pallas, Vesta, but we have new ones discovered every day; and any conclusion depending upon this premiss that _A_, _B_, _C_, _D_, _E_, _F_, _G_, _H_, to _Z_ are all the planets, is likely to be falsified in a few years by the discovery of _A´_, _B´_, _C´_, &c. If, therefore, this were the syllogistic analysis of Induction, Kepler's discovery rested upon a false proposition; and even if the analysis were now made conformable to our present knowledge, that induction, analysed as above, would still involve a proposition which to-morrow may show to be false. But yet no one, I suppose, doubts that Kepler's discovery was really a discovery--the establishment of a scientific truth on solid grounds; or, that it is a scientific truth for us, notwithstanding that we are constantly discovering new planets. Therefore the syllogistic analysis of it now discussed (namely, that which introduces simple enumeration as a step) is not the right analysis, and does not represent the grounds of the Inductive Truth, that all the planets describe ellipses.

It may be said that all the planets discovered since Kepler's time conform to his law, and thus confirm his discovery. This we grant: but they only _confirm_ the discovery, they do not make it; they are not its groundwork. It was a discovery before these new cases were known; it was an inductive truth without them. Still, an objector might urge, if any one of these new planets had contradicted the law, it would have overturned the discovery. But this is too boldly said. A discovery which is so precise, so complex (in the phenomena which it explains), so supported by innumerable observations extending through space and time, is not so easily overturned. If we find that Uranus, or that Encke's comet, deviates from Kepler's and Newton's laws, we do not infer that these laws must be false; we say that there must be some disturbing cause in these cases. We seek, and we find these disturbing causes: in the case of Uranus, a new planet; in the case of Encke's comet, a resisting medium. Even in this case therefore, though the number of particulars is limited, the Induction was not made by a simple enumeration of all the particulars. It was made from a few cases, and when the law was discerned to be true in these, it was extended to all; the conversion and assumed universality of the proposition that "these are planets," giving us the proposition which we need for the syllogistic exhibition of Induction, "all the planets are as these."

I venture to say further, that it is plain, that Aristotle did not regard Induction as the result of simple enumeration. This is plain, in the first place, from his example. Any proposition with regard to a special class of animals, cannot be proved by simple enumeration: for the number of particular cases, that is, of animal species in the class, is indefinite at any period of zoological discovery, and must be regarded as infinite. In the next place, Aristotle says (§ 10 of the above extract), "We must conceive that _C_ consists of a collection of all the particular cases; for induction is applied to all the cases." We must _conceive_ (νοεῖν) that _C_ in the major, consists of all the cases, in order that the conclusion may be true of all the cases; but we cannot _observe_ all the cases. But the evident proof that Aristotle does not contemplate in this chapter an Induction by simple enumeration, is the contrast in which he places Induction and Syllogism. For Induction by simple enumeration stands in no contrast to Syllogism. The Syllogism of such Induction is quite logical and conclusive. But Induction from a comparatively small number of particular cases to a general law, does stand in opposition to Syllogism. It gives us a truth,--a truth which, as Aristotle says (§ 14), is more luminous than a truth proved syllogistically, though Syllogism may be _more natural and usual_. It gives us (§ 11) immediate propositions, obtained directly from observation, and not by a chain of reasoning: "first truths," the principles from which syllogistic reasonings may be deduced. The Syllogism proves by means of a middle term (§ 13) that the extreme is true of a third thing: thus, (_acholous_ being the middle term):

Acholous animals are long-lived:
All elephants are acholous animals:
Therefore all elephants are long-lived.

But Induction proves by means of a third thing (namely, particular cases) that the extreme is true of the mean; thus (_acholous_, still being the middle term)

Elephants are long-lived:
Elephants are acholous animals:
Therefore acholous animals are long-lived.

It may be objected, such reasoning as this is quite inconclusive: and the answer is, that this is precisely what we, and as I believe, Aristotle, are here pointing out. Induction _is_ inconclusive _as reasoning_. It is not reasoning: it is another way of getting at truth. As we have seen, no reasoning can prove such an inductive truth as this, that all planets describe ellipses. It is _known_ from observation, but it is not _demonstrated_. Nevertheless, no one doubts its universal truth, (except, as aforesaid, when disturbing causes intervene). And thence, Induction is, as Aristotle says, opposed to syllogistic reasoning, and yet is a means of discovering truth: not only so, but a means of discovering primary truths, immediately derived from observation.

I have elsewhere taught that all Induction involves a _Conception_ of the mind applied to facts. It may be asked whether this applies in such a case as that given by Aristotle. And I reply, that Aristotle's instance is a very instructive example of what I mean. The Conception which is applied to the facts in order to make the induction possible is the want of the gall-bladder;--and Aristotle supplies us with a special term for this conception; _acholous_[349]. But, it may be said, that the animals observed, the elephant, horse, mule, &c., are acholous, is a mere fact of observation, not a Conception. I reply that it is a _Selected_ Fact, a fact selected and compared in several cases, which is what we mean by a _Conception_. That there is needed for such selection and comparison a certain activity of the mind, is evident; but this also may become more clear by dwelling a little further on the subject. Suppose that Aristotle, having a desire to know what class of animals are long-lived, had dissected for that purpose many animals; elephants, horses, cows, sheep, goats, deer and the like. How many resemblances, how many differences, must he have observed in their anatomy! He was very likely long in fixing upon any one resemblance which was common to all the long-lived. Probably he tried several other characters, before he tried the presence and absence of the gall-bladder:--perhaps, trying such characters, he found them succeed for a few cases, and then fail in others, so that he had to reject them as useless for his purpose. All the while, the absence of the gall-bladder in the long-lived animals was a fact: but it was of no use to him, because he had not selected it and drawn it forth from the mass of other facts. He was looking for a mean term to connect his first extreme, _long-lived_, with his second, the special cases. He sought this middle term in the entrails of the many animals which he used as extremes: it _was_ there, but he could not find it. The fact existed, but it was of no use for the purpose of Induction, because it did not become a special Conception in his mind. He considered the animals in various points of view, it may be, as ruminant, as horned, as hoofed, and the contrary; but not as _acholous_ and the contrary. When he looked at animals in that point of view,--when he took up that character as the ground of distinction, he forthwith imagined that he found a separation of long-lived and short-lived animals. When that Fact became a Conception, he obtained an inductive truth, or, at any rate, an inductive proposition.

He obtained an inductive proposition by applying the Conception _acholous_ to his observation of animals. This Conception divided them into two classes; and these classes were, he fancied, long-lived and short-lived respectively. That it was the Conception, and not the Fact which enabled him to obtain his inductive proposition, is further plain from this, that the supposed Fact is not a fact. Acholous animals are not longer-lived than others. The presence or absence of the gall-bladder is no character of longevity. It is true, that in one familiar class of animals, the herbivorous kind, there is a sort of first seeming of the truth of Aristotle's asserted rule: for the horse and mule which have not the gall-bladder are longer-lived than the cow, sheep, and goat, which have it. But if we pursue the investigation further, the rule soon fails. The deer-tribe that want the gall-bladder are not longer-lived than the other ruminating animals which have it. And as a conspicuous evidence of the falsity of the rule, man and the elephant are perhaps, for their size, the longest-lived animals, and of these, man has, and the elephant has not, the organ in question. The inductive proposition, then, is false; but what we have mainly to consider is, where the fallacy enters, according to Aristotle's analysis of Induction into Syllogism. For the two premisses are still true; that elephants, &c., are long-lived; and that elephants, &c., are acholous. And it is plain that the fallacy comes in with that conversion and generalization of the latter proposition, which we have noted as necessary to Aristotle's illustration of Induction. When we say "All acholous animals are as elephants, &c.," that is, as those in their biological conditions, we say what is not true. Aristotle's condition (§ 8) is not complied with, that the middle term shall not extend beyond the extreme. For the character _acholous_ does extend beyond the elephant and the animals biologically resembling it; it extends to deer, &c., which are not like elephants and horses, in the point in question. And thus, we see that the assumed conversion and generalization of the minor proposition, is the seat of the fallacy of false Inductions, as it is the seat of the peculiar logical character of true Inductions.

As true Inductive Propositions cannot be logically demonstrated by syllogistic rules, so they cannot be discovered by any rule. There is no formula for the discovery of inductive truth. It is caught by a peculiar sagacity, or power of divination, for which no precepts can be given. But from what has been said, we see that this sagacity shows itself in the discovery of propositions which are both _true_, and _convertible_ in the sense above explained. Both these steps may be difficult. The former is often very laborious: and when the labour has been expended, and a true proposition obtained, it may turn out useless, because the proposition is not convertible. It was a matter of great labour to Kepler to prove (from calculation of observations) that Mars moves elliptically. Before he proved this, he had tried to prove many similar propositions:--that Mars moved according to the "bisection of the eccentricity,"--according to the "vicarious hypothesis,"--according to the "physical hypothesis,"--and the like; but none of these was found to be exactly true. The proposition that Mars moves elliptically was proved to be true. But still, there was the question, Is it convertible? Do all the planets move as Mars moves? This was proved, (suppose,) to be true, for the Earth and Venus. But still the question remains, Do all the planets move as Mars, Earth, Venus, do? The inductive generalizing impulse boldly answers, Yes, to this question; though the rules of Syllogism do not authorize the answer, and though there remain untried cases. The inductive Philosopher tries the cases as fast as they occur, in order to confirm his previous conviction; but if he had to wait for belief and conviction till he had tried every case, he never could have belief or conviction of such a proposition at all. He is prepared to modify or add to his inductive truth according as new cases and new observations instruct him; but he does not fear that new cases or new observations will overturn an inductive proposition established by exact comparison of many complex and various phenomena.

Aristotle's example offers somewhat similar reflections. He had to establish a proposition concerning long-lived animals, which should be true, and should be susceptible of generalized conversion. To prove that the elephant, horse and mule are destitute of gall-bladder required, at least, the labour of anatomizing those animals in the seat of that organ. But this labour was not enough; for he would find those animals to agree in many other things besides in being acholous. He must have selected that character somewhat at a venture. And the guess was wrong, as a little more labour would have shown him; if for instance he had dissected deer: for they are acholous, and yet short-lived. A trial of this kind would have shown him that the extreme term, _acholous_, did extend beyond the mean, namely, animals such as elephant, horse, mule; and therefore, that the conversion was not allowable, and that the Induction was untenable. In truth, there is no relation between bile and longevity[350], and this example given by Aristotle of generalization from induction is an unfortunate one.

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In discussing this passage of Aristotle, I have made two alterations in the text, one of which is necessary on account of the fact; the other on account of the sense. In the received text, the particular examples of long-lived animals given are _man_, horse, and mule (ἐφ' ᾧ δὲ Γ, τὸ καθέκαστον μακρόβιον, οἷον ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἵππος, καὶ ἡμίονος). And it is afterwards said that all these are _acholous_: (ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ Β, τὸ μὴ ἔχον χολὴν, παντὶ ὑπάρχει τῷ Γ). But man _has_ a gall-bladder: and the fact was well known in Aristotle's time, for instance, to Hippocrates; so that it is not likely that Aristotle would have made the mistake which the text contains. But at any rate, it is a mistake; if not of the transcriber, of Aristotle; and it is impossible to reason about the passage, without correcting the mistake. The substitution of ἔλεφας for ἄνθρωπος makes the reasoning coherent; but of course, any other acholous long-lived animal would do so equally well.

The other emendation which I have made is in § 6. In the received text § 6 and 7 stand thus:

6. Then every _C_ is _A_, for _every acholous animal is long-lived_

(τῷ δὴ Γ ὅλω ὑπάρχει τὸ Α, πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ἄχολον μακρόβιον).

7. Also every _C_ is _B_, for all _C_ is destitute of bile.

Whence it may be inferred, says Aristotle, under certain conditions, that every _B_ is _A_ (τὸ Α τῷ Β ὑπάρχειν) that is, that _every acholous animal is long-lived_. But this conclusion is, according to the common reading, identical with the major premiss; so that the passage is manifestly corrupt. I correct it by substituting for ἄχολον, Γ; and thus reading πᾶν γὰρ τὸ Γ μακρόβιον "for every _C_ is long-lived:" just as in the parallel sentence, 7, we have ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ Β, τὸ μὴ ἔχον χολην, παντὶ ὑπάρχει τῷ Γ. In this way the reasoning becomes quite clear. The corrupt substitution of ἄχολον for Γ may have been made in various ways; which I need not suggest. As my business is with the sense of the passage, and as it makes no sense without the change, and very good sense with it, I cannot hesitate to make the emendation. And these emendations being made, Aristotle's view of the nature and force of Induction becomes, I think, perfectly clear and very instructive.

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ADDITIONAL NOTE.

I take the liberty of adding to this Memoir the following remarks, for which I am indebted to Mr. Edleston, Fellow of Trinity College.

Several of the earlier editions of Aristotle have γ instead of ἄχολον in the passage referred to in the above paper: ex. gr.

(1) The edition printed at Basle, 1539 (after Erasmus): "τὸ γ."

(2) Basil (Erasmus) 1550. "τὸ γ."

(3) Burana's Latin version, Venet. 1552, has "omne enim _C_ longævum."

(4) Sylburg, Francf. 1587 "τὸ γ" is printed in brackets thus: "[τὸ γ] τὸ ἄχολον."

(5) So also in Casaubon's edition, 1590.

(6) Casaub. 1605 "τὸ γ," (though the Latin version has "vacans bile;") not "[τὸ γ] τὸ ἄχολον," as the edition of 1590.

(7) In the edition printed Aurel. Allobr. 1607, "[τὸ γ] τὸ ἄχολον," as in (4) and (5).

(8) Du Val's editions, Paris, 1619, 1629, 1654 "τὸ γ," though in Pacius's translation in the adjacent column we find "vacans bile."

(9) In the critical notes to Waitz's edition of the _Organon_ (Lips. 1844) it is stated that "post ἄχολον del. γ. _n_," implying apparently, that in the MS. marked _n_, the letter γ, which had been originally written after ἄχολον, had been erased.

* * * * *

The following passages throw light upon the question whether ἄνθρωπος ought or ought not to be retained in the passage discussed in the Memoir.

(A) Aristot. _De Animalibus Histor._ II. 15, 9 (Bekk.), τῶν μὲν ζωοτόκων καὶ τετραπόδων ἔλαφος οὐκ ἔχει [χολήν] οὐδὲ πρόξ, ἕτι δὲ ἵππος, ὀρεύς, ὄνος, φώκη καὶ τῶν ὑῶν ἔνιοι.... Ἔχει δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐλέφας τὸ ῆπαρ ἄχολον μέν, κ.τ.λ.

(B) Conf. Ib. I. 17, 10, 11. (In the beginning of Chap. 16, he says that the external μορια of man are γνώριμα, "τὰ δ' ἐντὸς τοὐναντίον. Ἄγνωστα γάρ ἐστι μάλιστα τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὡστε δεῖ πρὸς τὰ τῶν ἄλλων μόρια ζώων ἀνάγοντας σκοπεῖν," ...)

(C) Id _De Part. Animal._ IV. 2, 2. τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὅλως οὐκ ἕχει χολήν, οἷον ἱππος και ὀρεύς καὶ ονος καὶ ἔλαφος καὶ πρόξ..... Ἐν δὲ τοῖς γένεσι τοῖς αὐτοῖς τὰ μὲν ἔχειν φαίνεται, τὰ δ' οὐκ ἔχειν, οἷον ἐν τῷ τῶν μυῶν. Τούτων δ' ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος· ἔνιοι μὲν γὰρ φαίνονται ἔχοντες χολὴν ἐπὶ του ἥπατος, ἔνιοι δ' οὐκ ἔχοντες. Διο καὶ γίνεται ἀμφισβήτησις περὶ ὁλου τοῦ γένους· οἱ γὰρ ἐντυχόντες ὁποτερωσοῦν ἔχουσι περὶ πάντων ὑπολαμβάνουσιν ὡς ἁπάντων ἐχόντων.....

(D) Ib. § 11. Διὸ καὶ χαριέστατα λέγουσι τῶν ῶρχαίων ὁι φάσκοντες αἴτιον εῖναι τοῦ πλείω ζῆν χρόνον το μὴ ἔχειν χολήν, βλέψαντες ἐπὶ τὰ μωνυχα και τὰς ελαφους· ταῦτα γὰρ ἄχολά τε καὶ ζῇ πολὺν χρόνον. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ μὴ ἑωραμένα ὑπ' ἐκείνων ὁτι οὐκ ἔχει χολήν, οἷον δελφις καὶ κάμηλος, καὶ ταῦτα τυγχάνει μακρόβια ὄντα. Εὔλογον γάρ, κ.τ.λ.

(E) The elephant and man are mentioned together as long-lived animals (_De Long. et Brev. Vitæ_, IV. 2, and _De Generat. Animal._ IV. 10, 2.)

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The following is the import of these passages:

(_A_) "Of viviparous quadrupeds, the deer, roe, horse, mule, ass, seal, and some of the swine have not the gall-bladder....

The elephant also has the liver without gall-bladder, &c."

(_B_) "The external parts of man are well known: the internal parts are far from being so. The parts of man are in a great measure unknown; so that we must judge concerning them by reference to the analogy of other animals...."

(_C_) "Some animals are altogether destitute of gall-bladder, as the horse, the mule, the ass, the deer, the roe.... But in some kinds it appears that some have it, and some have it not, as the mice kind. And among these is man; for some men appear to have a gall-bladder on the liver, and some not to have one. And thus there is a doubt as to the species in general; for those who have happened to examine examples of either kind, hold that all the cases are of that kind."

(_D_) Those of the ancients speak most plausibly, who say that the absence of the gall-bladder is the cause of long life; looking at animals with uncloven hoof, and deer: for these are destitute of gall-bladder, and live a long time. And further, those animals in which the ancients had not the opportunity of ascertaining that they have not the gall-bladder, as the dolphin, and the camel, are also long-lived animals."

It appears, from these passages, that Aristotle was aware that some persons had asserted man to have a gall-bladder, but that he also conceived this not to be universally true. He may have inclined to the opinion, that the opposite case was the more usual, and may have written ἄνθρωπος in the passage which I have been discussing. Another mistake of his is the reckoning deer among long-lived animals.

It appears probable, from the context of the passages (_C_) and (_D_), that the conjecture of a connexion between absence of the gall-bladder and length of life was suggested by some such notion as this:--that the gall, from its bitterness, is the cause of irritation, mental and bodily, and that irritation is adverse to longevity. The opinion is ascribed to "the ancients," not claimed by Aristotle as his own.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 350: Mr. Owen, to whom I am indebted for the physiological part of this criticism, tells me, "All mammalia have bile, the carnivora in greater proportion than the herbivora: the gall-bladder is a comparatively unimportant accessory to the biliary apparatus; adjusting it to certain modifications of stomach and intestine: there is no relation between natural longevity and bile. Neither has the presence or absence of the gall-bladder any connexion with age. Man and the elephant are perhaps for their size the longest lived animals, and the latest at coming to maturity: one has the gall-bladder, and the other not."]