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Darwinian truths, that animals are largely built after the 

 same plan, and devotes some chapters to shew that there is 

 little difference in the anatomical construction of a frog, a 

 man, and an insect. 



John Swammcrdam was born at Amsterdam in 1637, and 

 he inherited the love of natural history from his father James, 

 who is spoken of as a great naturalist, and the possessor of an 

 extensive private museum. 



John was intended for the Church, but after a serious 

 examination of his own dispositions and talents, thought 

 himself unequal to so important a work, and decided to apply 

 himself to Phytic. His relations with his father appear to 

 have been far from happy, and this, coupled with the fact that 

 he suffered a great deal from ague, seems to have had such an 

 effect upon his constitution that, after devoting the best years 

 of his life to collecting material for his great work, he suddenly 

 took so violent a dislike to natural history that he could not 

 bear even the sight of his most treasured specimens and 

 preparations. Boerhaave says: — "The last day of September 

 of this year 1873, our author finished his treatise on Bees, 

 which proved so fatiguing a performance that he never after 

 recovered even the appearance of his former health and vigour, 

 and, indeed, it was an undertaking too great for the strongest 

 constitution, to be continually employed by day in making 

 observations, and almost constantly engaged by night 

 recording them by drawings and suitable explanations." 

 After entirely giving up the study of natui-e, " the remaining 

 portion of his life was devoted to that of serving God, which 

 alone he delighted in." 



Boerhaave "s description of his microscopes and method ot 

 manipulation is interesting. He says : — " For dissecting of 

 very small subjects he had a brass table made on purpose. To 

 that table were fastened two brass arms, movable at pleasure 

 to any part of it, and the upper portions of these arms were 

 likewise so contrived as to be susceptible of a very slow 

 vertical motion, by which means the operator could readily 

 alter their heighth, as he saw most convenient to his purpose. 



