A Curious Mistake Concerning Cranial Sutures in Aristotle's Parts of Animals, or, the Use and Abuse of the Footnote

This article examines an erroneous claim Aristotle makes in Parts of Animals about the number of cranial sutures in men and women, in the context of a discussion of this mistake by Robert Mayhew in his study, The Female in Aristotle’s Biology. By subjecting both Mayhew’s use of existing commentary on this passage and the references in his corresponding footnote to a literary analysis, the author explores the potential for play in the footnote, and its ability to destabilize the very argument it is intended to support.