68 ANIMALS AND’ VEGETABLES IIL: 
“re, atque requifito excitata calore, non tamen 
“crefcunt, neque dant vite ulla figna actuo- 
&< fee (1 yg 
Such is thé réceived opinion ofall philcfophers 
and naturalifts, which for many years I confidently 
adopted, and believed certain with refpect to the 
animal and vegetable kingdoms. But my expe- 
riments on” infufions infpired: me with a jufh 
diftruft. I had difcovered that the animalcula of » 
infufions were produced, and lived, in veffels- 
herntetically fealed; and that the feeds ufed 
for the infufions germinated. Thefe faéts did 
not correfpond with the general belief; and 
excited a lively defiré of inftituting a number of 
experiments to inveftigate the limits and condi- 
tions of the phyfical-maxim, That’ air which is 
confined and cannot be renewed is noxious to 
beings in life, whether animals’ or vegetables: 
With this defign, Trefolved to repeat and to di: 
verfify my experiments or infufion animalcula 
and vegetable feeds growing in clofe veflels ; and 
alfo'to make experiments*on fome animals, whofe 
great analogy to imfufion animalcula would  in- 
duce us to fuppofe that-the moxious influence of 
ftagnant air could not fo eafily affet them as it 
would affect animals ranking higher in the fcale 
of begs. My experiments were therefore made 
on the eggs of many wibby and aquatic i1- 
fects, 
(1) Elem. Chem. 
