134 Transactions of the Society. 



analogy of the vessels of animals required the parenchyma to be open 

 *' pores," and not closed cells. His further use of the Microscope 

 compelled Grew to surrender the demonstration of "reason" to 

 observation of sense, and in his later writings he says, " the pith 

 consists of very small vesicles or bladders as the bark." 



The structure of the leaf is clearly described, and the presence of 

 the stomata observed, figured, and described. He says : " The skins 

 of at least many plants are formed with several orifices or passports, 

 either for the better escape of superfluous sap or the admission of 

 air." This was a very shrewd prophecy, and his works abound in 

 such suggestions. But the general functions of the leaf are mis- 

 understood, though he holds that they imbibe and elaborate the sap. 

 Little more could be ascertained until chemistry was established on a 

 new basis by Lavoisier, after the middle of the eighteenth century. 

 The investigations, under the influence of the new chemistry, by 

 Ingenhaus, Senebier, and Saussure established the nature of the plant- 

 food, the sources from which it was derived, and the organs through 

 which it was obtained. 



The account of the flower is least satisfactory. He distinguishes 

 the calyx (empalement), corolla (foliation), and stamens (attire) which 

 consist of filament (chive), and anther (semet). He says nothing of the 

 pistil in ordinary flowers. He deals at greater length with the com- 

 posite flower which he calls the florid attire. It consists of three 

 parts, the corolla (floret), the stamens (sheath), and the stigma (blade). 

 He does not recognise that the sheath is his attire (stamens), and he 

 supposes that the pollen-grains adhering to the stigma lay, before its 

 opening, " enclosed up within its clefts, and are of the same nature 

 with those of the semet (anther), though not so copious." In his 

 later work on the flower (read November 9th, 1676) he describes 

 and figures the pistil. He had some conversation with the Savilian 

 Professor, Sir Thomas Millington, as to sexes in plants. The Pro- 

 fessor explained his views as to the stamens and pistil being sexual 

 organs, and this agreeing with the opinions he had been forming, he 

 expressed them at length in his Memoir published in 1682. 



The fruit and seed have their forms and structure clearly set 

 forth. 



The more complete investigations subsequently published were 

 expansions of the chapters of this small volume. 



On the day on which Grew's published work was presented to the 

 Koyal Society (7th December, 1671) Oldenburg, Secretary to the 

 Society, received through the Ambassador to St. James's, the manu- 

 script "of the 'Anatomes Plantarum Idea,' by Malpighi, which is 

 printed on pages 1-15 of his ' Anatome,' and on the same day laid it 

 before the Society. A week after (14th December) Oldenburg wrote 

 to Malpighi acknowledging the receipt of the manuscript, and sent 

 him a copy of Grew's published work, by the hands of Bocconi, 

 but he remained so long in Belgium that it had not reached Malpighi 



