Memoirs on respiration ... / by Lazarus Spallanzani ; Edited, from the unpublished manuscripts of the author, by John Senebier.

  • Spallanzani, Lazzaro, 1729-1799.
Date:
1804
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Memoirs on respiration ... / by Lazarus Spallanzani ; Edited, from the unpublished manuscripts of the author, by John Senebier. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of food, but they are so organised by nature that the aliments naturally flow into them. » It is true that, except this current of | water towards the mouth of these animals, no other motion is perceivable in the sur- rounding fluid to make us suspect they are furnished with any organ analogous to gills ; but are we certain that this respiratory organ may not open internally? that it may not be situated within the mouth, against which the current continually, beats? Be- sides, when this innumerable tribe of small animals receive not from nature any proper respiratory organs, we may conclude that’ ' their whole body is destined to fulfil this office, by sucking, so to speak, the oxygen ‘from, the surrounding water. {Is not an example of this kind furnished Py the vivi~ parous snail? _ § XLIL Doubtless, oxygen is necessary to these” marine animalcula. Analogy leads us to believe that fresh-water animalcula greatly resemble ip their habits those of salt water.