470 History of Luminescence 



hung by a wall, the whole body shines brilliantly." Whether the 

 light was due to symbiotic bacteria or saprophytic bacteria is as yet 

 uncertain. 



Another early record of luminous bacteria, on Crustacea, is re- 

 ported by Bartholin (Book II, Chap. 15) : 



the learned Leo Allatius ^^ [who] saw it in Rome, as demonstrated in 

 his letter written to Licetus on the learned Pomarus. One night he saw 

 lights in the corner of the museum, which he was eager to obtain, but 

 feeling something cold and soft to his touch, he dropped them again. 

 He then fetched a light and examined everything in this corner, where 

 he found pieces and remnants of the river lobster (Gammarus) , smaller 

 and larger ones. He put them on a table, removed the light, and shut 

 himself with his find in the dark, with good result: for at once those 

 same remnants of the lobsters became luminous, more or less according 

 to their size, and gave out a gleam somewhat like that of lighted sulphur 

 or burning water, but a pale and not so vivid one with broken and 

 dulled rays, which faded out when a brighter light appeared. 



This account is also repeated by P. J. Sachs von Lewenhaimb 

 (1627-1672) in his Gammerologia (1665) , a treatise dealing with 

 everything concerning Crustacea, and including many other inverte- 

 brates as well, for example, dactyli and oysters (probably containing 

 luminous worms) . Crabs were also said to be luminous. 



Squid and devil-fish have frequently been observed to shine when 

 dead. A record of luminous squid, seen by Francesco Redi (1626- 

 1698) in 1672 was published in 1687, and a particularly brilliant 

 octopus was recorded by Oliger Jacobaeus (1650-1701) in the Acta 

 Hafniensia Medica et Philosphica (1677-1679) , a journal edited by 

 T. Bartholin. Every observer has been astonished at the light of 

 fish and flesh, which is indeed a striking sight to those whose eyes 

 are thoroughly dark adapted. 



Robert Boyle 



After the remarkable display of luminous meat at Montpellier, 

 and the reports of luminous fish just enumerated, only occasional 

 notice was taken of similar phenomena until the time of Robert 

 Boyle (1627-1691) . He made many experiments to show that the 

 light from luminous flesh, fish, and wood is dependent upon the 

 presence of air, and he drew an interesting comparison between 

 the light of shining wood and that of a glowing coal. In fact his 

 " resemblances " and " differences " between living light and com- 

 bustion has become a classic comparison. 



^^ Leoni Allacci (1586-1669) , scholar and physician, librarian of the Vatican under 

 Pope Alexander VII. 



