microscopical observations: in a letter from edward wright, esq; to mr. peter collinson, f. r. s....

Microscopical Observations: In a Letter from Edward Wright, Esq; To Mr. Peter Collinson, F.R. S. Dated at Paris, Decemb. 26, 1755Author(s): Edward WrightSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 49 (1755 - 1756), pp. 553-558Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/104976 .

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[ 553 )

LXXXII. Microfcopical Ob/term3ations : I?s a

- Letter froe Edsrard Wright,, Mr; -to Mr. Pcter Collinfon, F R. S. dbSd at Paris Decemb. 26, 1 755.

ReadMar. I8,TT appearS from Mr.Needham's experi- 175 1 mentss and thoSeof MontS de BuffonX

that animal and vegetable fubRances infalfed in boiling water, put into bottles completely filled, and fo clofely Iloppeda that no ail can enter, and even kept for fome time in hot aes that in calE there {hould be ally latent ova of inEedrsa they may effedrually be deRroyed} it appears, I fay, from the experiments of thefe gentlemens that fuch fiJbRances, notwith- Itanding fuch precautions} affold microrcop;cal arli- malcules Qf various kinds, and that koner or later, according to the greater or lefs degee of exaltation in in the fubRances. Hence they conclude, that there s a real produdive force in nature, by which thefe ani- malcula are imed.

Harring read ths accounts of thefe experiments, 1: was defirous to nlake fome of tlae Iime kind, wlaich I accordingly did, in the fummer ofthe year IJSze

Though the greateA part of ths ani-mal fubLtangess upon which I made any experiments treated in the manner above-mentioned yieldedX fooner or later, great numbers of microCcopical anim-alcules; yet tnoIt of the vegetable fubRances) whether Som the cald- nefs of the feaSonX which was not very favourable that year with usy or for iSolue fiXult in preparing the

infufion, iniirely failed, and tluderwcnt a.ffiermer}ta

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L &54 tionX without esrer glving the fmalleR marks of any $hing endowed - wxth lifie.

As I had little leifureX my experiments were nei ther fo numerous nor fo well man-aged, as I could have wiShed; nor did I take notes of the eventiof any, except that-of twoj which I made upen mil}epedes alld cantharides? fubRances much uSed in medicinA which-renders obServations won them fo much the more intereiling

May I I752 at elev« tc}<k forenoont I ma;de axl infuEion of drled millepedes, or wood^lice} fuch as are commonly kept in our apoth¢ares {hops TheEe I put unbrui-I:ed into a fmall pfiial fo as to make it half full ; then poured upo-n them as much boiling water as filled it neck and allX Iiopped it with a well mafiicated cork} and put it into a pocket, where it was kept in a mild- degrse of warmth I let it re main till ten oclock the fame evening, -when I exa- mined a drop of the infuElon with the higheflc Xnag- 1lifier of a very good microScope made by P4r. Clarke o£ Edinburgh. I S3und the wwhole fwarming with oblong, fender, flattith pellucid animalcules, pretty nearly of the fame breadth throughout the rhole length of tlzar bodiesf and vithout any appearance

P . P 7 to m. s . . . ^

ot a tal (Jee l AB ̂̂ e q lg* ] *) al evlc ently ot tW ze fanle kind, though not all off the fame lengtll and di- tnenflons) extremely vlvid} md as appeared pretty evi dent to me, fpontaneous in tlleir motions) -which theyperformed in all diredions n an undulatory,

* . vermlculaxv way. Upon obierving the fpeedy appearance of thefe ani-

malcutes) I vwrithed to know) in how Ihort a time they night be produced; fbr wllivll purpoSea

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[ 555 ] May 3d, I made iu{} fuch another infufion, put

it into my pocket, as before, and an hour aftetwardK laid a drop of it before the microScope, while it was as yet tnllk svarrn I obierved a very few of thefe minute bodies moving about brifkly in the fluid. An hour after this more of them appeared; and before the end of the third hour, the iIlfuf1on contained a great number of them. They continued however to irlcreafe in numbtwrs for an hour or two afterwards, when the infufion feemed to have produced all that it was capabie o£

June 3d. I made an infufion irl the fame way of unbrulfed cantharides, and in much about the fame tinle foundF the whole fwarming svith animalcules of the fame kind as thofe- of tlle infufion of millepedes.

riLheIe bodies, which at firll appeared la-rger than thoSe itl femine maSculitloy were veryfoon decom- pofed into fmaller ones, to fpeak according to the dodcrine of MeS s. Ncedham and Buffion, or, dsSothers would rather irlcline to expreEs it, fucceeded bf fmaller ones, theSe again by others llill fma.llery and fe on, until in a few days, the higheR magniSer of my microGcope could exhibit nothirlg dillindt to the eye.

The fame fubItances infuSed in redcified fpirits of wine, or other fpirituous liquors, illewed none of thefe bodies, and a I&ew drops of fuch liquors, or of a folution of fixt or solatile alcaline falts poured ixIto the irlfufions, inIlantly deRroyed the animalcules.

I Ihall not take up time in enqv}iring, whether theSe animalcules are produced by the decompofition of the fubRances, in which we obServe them, rhich, according to NIouf. de Buffon contain a number of

livinb



f 556 ] Jivlng organic particles, or, according to Mr. Need_ ham, a vegctatin$ force in every microScopical point, capable of forming fecondary combinations, microfcopical plants, soophytes or animalcules, according to the greater or lefs degree of exaltation, which the feveral fubIlances have attas}ed. 0r whe$her they proceed from ova fornaerly exiting in the fubIlances and capable of enduring a great det,ree of heat, without being deSroyed, the- gcrms of which are fooner a later developed according to the fitnefs of the ni- dus as is the opinion of the learned and ingenious Dr. Parlions, in his treatiNe of the analogy between the propagation of animals and that of vegetables.

As by entering into a difcufl^lon of theSe diffierent Sentiments, one might write a large volllnle without perhaps going tD the bottom of- the matter, I {hall here only obServe, that which-foever of thefe opi_ nions we embrace, thus far feems tQ be certain, that the earlier or later appearance of microrcopical animalcules is always in proportion to the degree of ten- dencs to purrefadion in fuch fubItances as afford them. This is the cafe not only with them, but like- wife with maggots in rneat, which all the world knows tQ be produced from the eggs of flies.

Tlie two fubRances millepedes and cAntharidess upon whichthe above obfcXrvations were made, are remarkably-putreScent, and the infufiolls of them ltunk abominably in a very Jlort time.

CaItor, though an animal fubRance, and feem ingly very much exalted, treated ill the fame manner as the above-mentioned fubRances, viewed by the microScopR cvery day, and kept for feveral months afforded no animalclltes, nor feemed to have

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557 undergene the ftnalleft change; wIlich confirms what the ingenious Doftor Pringle has obSesed, that it is antiliptic; and addst weight to the obirvation} which I ma;de aboveX that the appearance of fuchani- malcules dersoes a tendency t putrefidrion. Hence I am of opinion, that fuch microSkopical obServations made wii care and accuracy, might be uIEfillTy ap- plied in the invelligation of the feptic and antifeptic quatities of animal and vegetable fab{tances, fince in this way ihe fi-ri:} motion Qf putreidion may be dif- covered beire it manifells itWelf otherwiSf

As every one would fl3, if poIZible} to- render his Rudies or obServations (however philofophical, or otherwife agreeable they may be) in bme ffiape {;lb- fervsent t the good of ma-nkindX here feenls tO be pointed out a new and intereRing field of enqwry fUr thofe who delight in mZicroScopical refearches

Beire I concludeX I mait beg leave to ful:tjoin a iew remarks cncerning exaltation, which feem to deferve atttention*- a

All exaltation appears to be a certain modification of the falts and otls of bodies: a proper degree of it fivours growth and vegetation, and fuRains aIlimal liS: a greater degree of it, Mthtch I would call the putrefadrive e.xaltation} and to w!zich all organized bodies tend more or IcI}) decompoSes all fuch 0_ dies, and fivours the produttion of microScopical animalcules, or the devcloyement of the ova, fiom svhence they tnay be hat:hed. A fl:ill 11igher de g}*ee of exaltation puts a Itop to tlliss proceXa as like wife to stegetation, and in certain circurn{ta11ces evela to alwimal iiS} as }lap jnens svith regard to all acrid

vOL. 49* + B che1wlical



[ 558 ] chetnica1 preparationsa Sc. whether of the ani£na1 or vegetable kingdomw

ThoSe mrho imagine tllat all falts and oils hart the vegetating force of matter, have fillen into a great crror; for from whence can i[uch a vegetating force proceed} but from a due mixture and moditication of the Its and oils with the earthy principle} which all the world allows to be of itielf irlert ?

It is true indeed that a very large portion of filts or oils re*nders fubRances antifeptic, or very fow either of vegetation or putrefidionX as is well knomrn with regard to Sea-Ealt, a large qllantity of which prefUrves fubRances fiom putrefittion; though, as the learned Dr Pringle obServes, a Emaller one rather fbrvvards that procefs, as it does likewiSe vegetation Cafl;orX which as I formerly obServed is antiSeptics feems to owe this quallty to nothing elfe but a larp quantity of a IluggiSh fetid oilt which it contains.

* . . .,

LXXXIII. w4 Sccourt of a Care of a par- -0tic i4rm by EleErzcity: 1S a Letter

Hom Gheney Hart) M D to llir.William Watin, . Rs SX

- Siops March :e, i7g6.

Resd Mar. s>} rrHough 'tis a long time iince I had l75& 1 occafion to svrite to you) yet I

take the libel ty of now troubllng you with a letterX to acquaint you vfith the cak of a young woman I lately llave had under my care at tlle infirnzary hereX upo.n

zwllom

[ 558 ] chetnica1 preparationsa Sc. whether of the ani£na1 or vegetable kingdomw

ThoSe mrho imagine tllat all falts and oils hart the vegetating force of matter, have fillen into a great crror; for from whence can i[uch a vegetating force proceed} but from a due mixture and moditication of the Its and oils with the earthy principle} which all the world allows to be of itielf irlert ?

It is true indeed that a very large portion of filts or oils re*nders fubRances antifeptic, or very fow either of vegetation or putrefidionX as is well knomrn with regard to Sea-Ealt, a large qllantity of which prefUrves fubRances fiom putrefittion; though, as the learned Dr Pringle obServes, a Emaller one rather fbrvvards that procefs, as it does likewiSe vegetation Cafl;orX which as I formerly obServed is antiSeptics feems to owe this quallty to nothing elfe but a larp quantity of a IluggiSh fetid oilt which it contains.

* . . .,

LXXXIII. w4 Sccourt of a Care of a par- -0tic i4rm by EleErzcity: 1S a Letter

Hom Gheney Hart) M D to llir.William Watin, . Rs SX

- Siops March :e, i7g6.

Resd Mar. s>} rrHough 'tis a long time iince I had l75& 1 occafion to svrite to you) yet I

take the libel ty of now troubllng you with a letterX to acquaint you vfith the cak of a young woman I lately llave had under my care at tlle infirnzary hereX upo.n

zwllom



microscopical observations: in a letter from edward wright, esq; to mr. peter collinson, f. r. s....

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