Volume 2

The select works, containing his microscopical discoveries / translated from the Dutch and Latin editions by Samuel Hoole.

  • Leeuwenhoek, Antoni van, 1632-1723.
Date:
1798-1807
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The select works, containing his microscopical discoveries / translated from the Dutch and Latin editions by Samuel Hoole. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    57/384 (page 49)
    they appeared to me, a reprefentation of which is given at fig. 4. I K L M. In this fmall particle, I not only judged that there were about a thoufand veflels taking their courfe upwards, but it alfo gave me a reprefentation of a complete branch of the tree cut tranf- verfely ; tor the external furface reprefented the bark; the part next it, in which are very fmall dark fpots, denoted the wood; which dark colour was only caufed by this, that in cutting the flice, the knife had fqueezed together, or flopped, the fmall tubes or veflels of which it was compofed; the middle part, the fap, or thofe veflels which would produce the item or branch, and being cut tranfverfely, ap- peared round bodies. But this figure was drawn from a microfcope of greater magnifying power than that ufed in the former, in order to fhew the nature of this flem and root-more diftindtly, fo that the diameter of this figure at IL, is about twice the diameter of the part marked in the laft figure by B G. Moreover, in this fmall trunk or flem, I perceived in fome places, fome round particles, as if they were fmall round corpufcles in the tubes or veflels, which are reprefented between the letters A and B. I have thought it right here to exhibit the fize of the young leaves in the feeds of fome other trees, to fliew that it by no means follows of confequence, that the largefi: feeds contain the largefi rudiments, or originals, of their future plants, for the young plants in the fmall feeds of the Afh are vaftly iuperior in fize to the very fmall leaves which the large feed of the Walnut contains, and which, as feen by the microfcope, are fhewn at Jig. 5 and 6, the originals of which I took from two feeds of that fpecies, in order to note if there might be any material difference between any two of them. In thefe figures I have only reprefented theJeaves, be- caufe in the rudiments or originals of the future fiems and roots, (which in this feed are fomewhat longer than the leaves), I per- ceived little or no difference in the form from thole in other feeds. In drawing thefe two figures, I found it quite impoflible to repre- Vol, II. G