A dissertation on the sensible and irritable parts of animals / Translated from the Latin. With a preface by M. Tissot.

  • Haller, Albrecht von, 1708-1777.
Date:
1755
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dissertation on the sensible and irritable parts of animals / Translated from the Latin. With a preface by M. Tissot. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of, or affifted me in performing ; and fince the beginning of the year 1751, I have examined fcveral different ways, a hundred and ninety animals, a fpecies of cruelty for which I felt fucha relu(5lance, as could only be overcome by the defire of contributing to the benefit of man¬ kind, and excufed by that motive which in¬ duces perfons of the moft humane temper, to eat every day the flefh of harmlefs animals without any fcruple. As in making thefe ex¬ periments I was obliged to try feveral which were ufelefs, and to repeat others of them feveral times, to communicate the whole of them would only be fpinning out this treatife needlefsly; wherefore I fhall confine myfelf to relate thofe only which arc of real ufe, and are found conftantly true. The refult of all thefe experiments has givea place to a new divifion of the parts of the hu¬ man body, which I fhall follow in this fhort eflay, by diftinguifhing thofe which are fuf- ceptible of Irritability and Senfibility, from thofe which are not. But the theory, why fome parts of the human body are endowed with thefe properties, while others are not, I fhall not at all meddle with. For I am per- fuaded that the fource of both lies concealed beyond the reach of the knife and microfeope, beyond which I do not chufe to hazard many conje6lures, as I have no defire of teaching what I am ignorant of myfelf. For the vani- ty