Human reproduction, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230
The section of the Rochester Bestiary on humans and the human body concludes with a discussion of reproduction.
Transcription
Translation
quod semen recipiat. vel quod ex ea fetus proce-
dat. Vesica dicta quia sicut vas aqua; ita de
renibus urina collecta completur et humore
distenditur. Cuius usus in volucribus non habetur. Urina autem dicta; sive quod urat. seu quia ex
renibus egreditur. cuius inditio et salus et egritu-
do futura; monstratur. Qui humor vulgo lo-
tium dicitur. quod eo lota id est munda vestimenta
efficiantur. Semen est quod iactum sumitur. aut a
terra. aut ab utero. ad gignendum vel fructus
vel fetus. Est enim liquor ex cibi et corporis de-
coctione factus. ac diffusus. per venas atque medul-
las. Qui inde dissudatur in modum sen-
tine. Concrescit in renibus eiectusque per
coitus et in utero mulieris susceptus;
calore quodammodo viscerum et menstrualis san-
guinis irrigatione formatur in corpore. Menstru-
um; est. supervacuus mulierum sanguis. dictum
[139v]
menstruum a circuitu lunaris luminis quo solet
hoc venire profluvium. Luna enim grece mene dicitur Hec et muliebria nuncupantur. Nam mulier sola;
animal menstruale est. Cuius cruoris tactu fru-
ges non germinant. acescunt arbusta. moriun-
tur herbe. amittunt arbores fetus. ferrum rubi-
go corripit. nigrescunt era. Siqui canes inde
commedant; in rabiem. inr(dots under) efferuntur. Glutinum
asfalti quod nec ferro nec aquis dissolvitur. cruore
ipso pollutum sponte dispergitur. Post plurimos
autem dies ideo non esse menstruos semen gene-
rabile; quia iam non est menstrualis sanguis
a quo perfusus irrigetur. Tenue semen muliebribus
locis non adheret. Labitur enim nec habet
vim adherendi. Similiter et crassum
vim non habet gignendi. quia muliebri
sanguini se miscere non potest; propter nimi-
am sui spissitudinem. Hinc et steriles mares vel
feminas fieri. vel per nimiam seminis vel sangui-
nis vrassitudinem. vel propter nimiaru raritatem.
[140r]
Primum autem aiunt cor hominis fingi. quod in eo sit
et vita omnis et sapientia. Deinde quadrage-
simo die totum opus expleri quod ex abortionibus
ut ferunt collectum est. Alii fetus a capite exordium
sumere dicunt. Unde et in avium fetu primum oculos
in ovis fingi videmus. Fetus autem dictus quod adhuc
in utero foveatur. Cuius secunde dicuntur folliculus qui
simul cum infante nascitur. continetque eum. Dictus quia et cum editur sequitur. Nasci autem
patribus similes aiunt; si paternum semen validius sit. Matribus; si matris. Hac ratione similes exprimi
vultus. Qui autem utriusque parentis figuram red-
dunt; equaliter mixto paterno maternoque se-
mine; concipiuntur. Avorum proavorumque simi-
les fieri; quia sicut in terra multa semina occul-
ta celantur; sic et in hominibus semina celantur
nobis figuram parentum redditura. Ex paterno
autem semine puellas nasci. et ex materno pueros. Quia omnis partus constat duplici semine. cuius pars
[140v]
maior cum invaluerit; occupat similitudinem sexus
In corpore nostro quedam tamen utilitatis causa facta sunt
ut viscera. Quedam et utilitatis et decoris. ut sen-
sus in facie et in corpore manus et pedes. Quorum mem-
brorum et utilitas magna est; et species decentissi-
ma. Quedam tantum decoris. Ut mamille in viris.
et in utroque sexu umbilicus. Quedam discretionis. Ut in viris genitalia. barba prolixa. pectus amplum.
In mulieribus leves gene. et angustum pectus. Ad
concipiendos autem et portandos fetus; renes et
latera dilatata. Quod ad hominem et partes attinet
hominis; et eius corporis; ex parte dictum est.
Translation
Translated by Gabriele Macelletti, Translator.
Vulva, vulva/womb or female genitalia, is named so, for it resembles the wings of the door of the belly or for it receives semen, or the foetus emerges therefrom. Vēsīca, the bladder, is called so, for it is filled with water the same as a vase; it is also filled with collected urine from the kidneys and it swells owing to the fluid. Birds need not do this. Ūrīna, urine, is called so, for it burns or it comes out from the kidneys that may reveal both health and future illnesses. The liquid commonly called lōtĭum is the moisture whereby clothes are cleaned when washed therewith. Sēmĕn, the seed, is that which is scattered and then consumed, either by the earth or by the uterus, in order to generate either fruits, plants or a foetus. It is a fluid formed by the digestion of food and the body, and propagated through the veins and marrow, wherefrom it is sweated out like bilgewater. It thickens in the kidneys and is ejaculated through sexual intercourse and received in the uterus of a woman. Through the warmth of the viscera and the irrigation of menstrual blood, it is shaped in the body. Menstrŭum, mensis or menstruation, is the excess blood of women, so named for it usually comes with the light of the lunar cycle that brings about the discharge. The Greek word for lūna, moon, is Μήνη, Mēnē in Latin. It is an epithet of Selene, the Greek lunar goddess. These are also referred to as "female" things. Only a woman is a menstruating creature. Without the touch of her blood, crops do not sprout. Shrubs turn sour, grass perishes, and trees lose their offspring. Iron quickly corrodes. Bronze and copper blacken. If dogs consume it, they become furious. The glue of asphalt is not dissolved neither by iron nor by water but is dispersed by the blood itself when it is tainted. After many days, moreover, semen is not generated from menstruation, for there is no longer menstrual blood whereby it can be irrigated once imbued. Thin semen does not adhere to the female parts, for it flows away and has no power of attachment. Similarly, thick semen also has no power of procreation, for it cannot mix with female blood due to its excessive thickness. Hence, both sterile males and females are born either due to an excessive thickness of semen or blood, or due to excessive thinness.
The heart of a person is said to be formed first, for both life and all wisdom reside therein. It is handed down that the whole work gathered from abortions is completed afterward, on the fortieth day. Some say that the shaping of the foetus begins from the head, whence we see that, in the embryo of birds, eyes are formed first in the eggs. Moreover, the foetus is called so, for it is nourished in the womb. The second part is said to be the shell (amnion) that is born at the same time as the infant and that contains it. Children are supposed to be similar to their fathers if the paternal seed is stronger and to mothers if the mother's seed is stronger. For this reason, children’s faces are similar to their parents’ faces. Those who exhibit the features of both parents are conceived with mixed paternal and maternal seeds equally. They resemble grandfathers and great-grandfathers, for just as there are many seeds hidden in the earth, so there are seeds hidden in man, which will give us the features of our ancestors. From the paternal seed, girls are born, and from the maternal, boys. Inasmuch as every birth consists of a dual seed, the greater part of which anticipates the similarity of the sex when it dominates. Moreover, certain things, such as organs, have been made in our body for the sake of usefulness. Other things for both usefulness and beauty such as the sensory organs on the face and the hands and feet on the body. The usefulness of these limbs is great, and their appearance is most becoming. Some things are designed only for beauty such as nipples in men, and in both sexes, the navel. Some are for distinction, like the genitals in men, a long beard, a broad chest. In women, soft cheeks and a narrow chest. Moreover, their loins and hips dilate, with regard to conceiving and carrying babies. (That which pertains to man and his body parts has been described in part. The age section is missing).