t, ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS, If^ 



Sixteen large equal fized glafs veffels were fele£l- 

 ed and divided into four clafles. Four were her- 

 metically fealed ; four (lopped with wooden flop- 

 pers, well fitted ; four w^ith cotcon ; and the re- 

 maining four left open. By this means the exter- 

 nal air had no communication with fome ; very 

 little with others. v,ith the third clafs more, and 

 as free as poflible with the refl. Every four con- 

 tained infufions of hemp-feed, rice, lentils, and 

 peafe ; and were boiled a full hour in the vafes 

 before being clofed up. I began the experiments 

 II May, and vifited the vafes 5 June. In 

 each were two fpecies of animalcula, large and 

 fmall ; but the four open infufions were fo full 

 and crowded, that they feemed to teem with life 5 

 with the cotton ftoppers, they were about a third 

 fcarcer ; and the animalcula (till fewer in the vef- 

 fels with wooden (toppers ; in thofe hermetically 

 fealed were fewell of all. 



The effence of the experiment was the fame 

 on taking maize, wheat, and barley for infufion. 

 Inflead of ufmg Hoppers, I covered fome of the 

 infufions with nut or olive oil ; and this new obfta* 

 cle further diminiflied the number of animalcula. 



The immediate confequence refulting from 

 thefe fa6ts is, that animalcula are more numer* 

 ous in proportion to the communication of the 

 infufions with the external air. From what we 

 fee, their origin is cither from germs brought by 



