The text discusses the proportions of the human figure, particularly focusing on the measurements from the nipples to the navel and from the navel to the pubic area or the lower abdomen. It notes how Vitruvius and others have considered these measurements in creating a circle that encompasses the human figure with outstretched limbs. The text also explains Aristotle's views on proportions indicating health and vitality.
The Human Figure.
Women find nipples slightly lower due to the sagging of the breasts, though creating a sure part of the head; however, the part between the nipple and the navel is somewhat shortened.
The third length is from the chest nipple to the navel, which is the midpoint of the circle in which a person with stretched-out arms and legs can fit, as Vitruvius and others have noted over time.
The fourth length is from the navel to the pubic area, or the lowest part of the abdomen, representing the true middle half of the human figure. Although nature allows some freedom here, as in the faces, it is not so apparent or evident. Aristotle taught that those with the area below the navel larger than the area above extending to the chest, signaled small strength, much sickness, and a short life.
A person plotted on a cross that is drawn from the corners of a perfect square, with the square being equal in height to the person; will have their projected midpoint or pubic region exactly on the bisected cross-point, and with the tips of both extended hand-fingers, together with the head and feet, touching the sides of that square: and hence it occurs that a typical person is as long as their body length is generally measured. However, whether the saying of a "Four-Spanned Man" comes from here, as some think, is questionable, since this proportion is often seen in large, tall, and robust people, who do not entirely fit as "Four-Spanned" in practice.
Translation Notes:
Vierschotig-Man: Translated here as "Four-Spanned Man": "Vierschotig" possibly refers to an old measurement or conceptual proportion.