K- ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS. 2^ 



animalcula ? The infufficiency of fuch a fuppQ= 

 Ution has already been feen. Neither can heat 

 impair the elaflicity of the internal air : becaufe^ 

 from the precautions taken, there was not the 

 lead difference between the flate of the internal 

 air and the external 5 and attending to what hap- 

 pened ■ on opening the veflels, fo far from that 

 within being lefs elaftic, it is even more fo than, 

 the other. It is impofTible to conceive the en- 

 creafed elafticity is prejudicial to the origin of 

 our animalcula, as I have feen them where the 

 air was condenfed twice or three times more than 

 its natural fhate. The conclufion will then fub- 

 fift, that when the higher clafs does not appear^ 

 it is becaufe heat has vitiated or injured the pro- 

 ductive principle. The force of this conclufion 

 will afterwards be better comprehended. The 

 fecond confequence is the inverfe of the firfi:, 

 and refpetls the conftancy or rather certainty of 

 animalcula appearing in boiled clofe infufions. 

 And this refult is no more favourable to the rea- 

 fon aifigned for none originating in infufions 

 boiled an hour, becaufe too great heat had def- 

 troyed the vegetative pov/er, or impaired th,e 

 elafticity of the air ; nor with the time I ought 

 to expofe infufions to heat, and ftiil fee animal- 

 cula^ which has been prefcribed to be as much as 

 will deftroy the eggs of the filk-worm-moth, that 

 is J 1 35° J or 1 38° J or 140°, the fame as we fhall 



