This intriguing etymology derives the name of the intestine from the word meaning "one of two", with insertion of an [n] and loss of the initial aspiration (the etymology was designed in a state of language where initial aspiration was lost). It seems to refer to the fact that there are two different parts, the small intestine and the large intestine or colon, which are as a matter of fact not similar. One may wonder whether a Hippocratic passage discussed by Galen could be partly cause of that etymology. Galen (In Hippocratis librum vi epidemiarum Commentarii vi, Kühn p. 125) says that in this text the word ἔντερον was wrongly replaced by ἕτερον, leading to two different versions: "Ὧι τὸ ἔντερον ἐπὶ δεξιὰ ἀρθριτικῷ ἐγένετο, ἦν ἡσυχώτερος. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἰητρεύθη, ἐπιπονώτερος." Διττὴ κἀνταῦθά ἐστιν ἡ γραφὴ τὴν διάνοιαν ὑπαλλάττουσα, παλαιοτέρα μὲν ἡ μετὰ τοῦ νυ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην συλλαβὴν τοῦ ἔντερον ὀνόματος, ὕστερον δὲ προστεθεῖσα ἡ ἄνευ τοῦ νυ βουλομένων τῶν οὕτω γραψάντων ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ οὖς συνισταμένων εἰρῆσθαι τὸ “ἕτερον”, ὥσπερ γε πάλιν τῶν τὸ ἔντερον ἤτοι γ’ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀλγησάντων τὸ ἔντερον ἢ κἀπὶ τῶν τεινομένων τὸ ἔντερον