245 ANIMAL REPRODUCTIONS, 
nal marrow, or nerves, nor any other concomi, 
tant of thefe parts, which are met with in an infi; 
nity of animals, being found in it ; but the whole 
appearing of a gelatinous and homogeneous fub; 
ftance, univerfally covered with a number of gra- 
nules ; all this, I fay, excited belief, that the fim- 
plicity of ftru€ture concurred in markng the por- 
tion cut from the polypus become an entire poly- 
pus. Thus it was thought, before the Genevefe 
philofopher’s difcovery, that the wonderful 
phenomena, afterwards feen in polypi, fucceeded 
in plants from their very fimple ftructure. And 
the reproduction of parts loft by other animated 
beings of fimple ftructure, as fea nettles, fea ftars, 
and I may alfo add, crayfifh, favoured the opi- 
nion. But it having afterwards been found, that 
certain frefh water worms, though much more 
compound than polypi, when cut in pieces, would 
become fo many complete worms, it was de- 
monftrated, that fimplicity of organization was 
not a condition requifite for the reproduction of 
wanting parts (1 1). Befides, this is verified in the 
clearef{t manner by earth worms, fince Reaumur 
has found that, cut in pieces, they multiply like 
plants, which is a phyfiological fact that fome 
naturalifts have denied, but it will be put beyond 
all queftion in my Riproduxioni Animali. When 
i 
(x) Bonnet Traité d’Infectologie. 
