History of Monsters 158         Ulisse Aldrovandi

...filled. However, the answer to this problem is drawn from Galen, who recorded that humans required a broad chest because of the use of their hands; otherwise, any other chest shape would have hindered their manual tasks. By contrast, other animals—which possess front and hind parts designed solely for forward movement—were given sharp chests to facilitate easier motion. Finally, some wonder why humans have such remarkably large feet compared to other animals. They fail to notice that this is because man alone walks upright and required two large feet to support the mass of his body.

Regarding age, it is asked why a person's temperament sometimes changes from bad to good or vice versa during the different stages of life. The answer is that the natural heat governing youth is sometimes so weak that it cannot dissipate superfluities, and at other times it is so strong that it consumes not only waste matter but also the "radical moisture" before its allotted time. Furthermore, some investigate why children commit things to memory more easily than adults. This is due to the softness of the body, as impressions are made more easily and effectively in a soft substance than a dry one. They also ask why children perceive things with their ears such that they kiss their kin and relatives. Clement of Alexandria answers this by saying that the sense of affection is generated through hearing. Thus, we should no longer marvel at the love of that youth "who burned with love for a girl he had never seen."

Some also examine why children burst into laughter more easily and frequently than those of other ages. They respond that Venus, the protective goddess of the young, loves joy and jokes; therefore, in ancient times, it was customary for adolescent boys to be led to the temple of Venus, where they would leave behind the "nuts" of their childhood. However, a better answer might be that children overflow with a bounty of spirits, which allows them to play the part of the laughing Democritus with ease. Finally, they ask why Plato prohibited children from hearing tragedies or comedies that provoke excessive laughter. Marsilio Ficino solves this problem by stating that children should be kept away from anything that might make them soft; for those compelled to weep daily become just as soft as those who dissolve into excessive laughter.

Concerning youth, researchers ask why a sudden onset of fear can cause premature graying of the hair. They respond that in a state of fear, the spirits and blood rush to the innermost parts of the body, causing the outermost parts to take on a cold imbalance. This leads to imperfect digestion of nutrients, which causes the hair to turn white. Finally, they ask why the elderly—who possess colder brains—sleep so little even when full of food, despite the common saying: "For the sated man delights to swell in refreshing sleep."

It is believed that this arises from the imperfect digestion that the elderly perform in the stomach; as a result, undigested vapors rise to the brain, whereas natural sleep is produced by perfectly digested vapors. Likewise, one must ask why the elderly do not accept correction, while the young are easily guided. It should be understood that over the course of time, the elderly have developed a certain rigidity due to the drying of the body, while the opposite is observed in the young, who have not yet reached such hardness.

Regarding human interaction, it is often asked why humans of both sexes are ready for sexual union at any time, while Nature has established a fixed breeding season for other animals. The answer is that a potent scent spreads through the air from the genitals of beasts at a set time; this strikes the nostrils of the males and consequently their brains, igniting their imagination and desire for mating. But because the venereal senses were granted to humanity not only for propagating offspring but also for soothing the miseries of human life, humans are ready for union at all times. Furthermore, a certain grace is observed in the beautiful appearance of a woman, which is not seen at all in beasts.

From this emerges another problem: why, among all living creatures, only the human male pursues male-to-male love. Some respond that the female sex does not satisfy every desire, since a man, due to his lustful nature, is never far from an outburst of venery. But others think it better to answer that beasts—as noted above—are driven toward Ve-