596 History of Luminescence 



to study a particular action. Perhaps Boyle (1667) should receive 

 the honor from his observation that " spirits of wine " and " salts " 

 extinguish the light of shining wood. Reaumur (1723) and Beccari, 

 Galeati, and Monti (1724) also noted the quenching effect of brandy 

 (eau de vie) on the luminous liquid from the mollusc, Pholas. Prob- 

 ably the first study of cell narcosis in which a clearly reversible effect 

 of the narcotic was noted was that of Achard (1783) on lumines- 

 cence of wood and Massart (1893) on Noctiluca. 



That sunlight will affect the ability to luminesce was discovered 

 by G. J. Allman (1862) . Ctenophores which he caught in daylight 

 never luminesced until kept in a dark room for some twenty minutes. 

 Other luminous organisms actually exhibit a day-night rhythm of 

 the ability to emit light, observed for Noctiluca by L. F. Henneguy 

 (1888) and by Massart (1888) , but not always confirmed by later 

 observers. The rhythm was definitely established for Ceratium by 

 O. Zacharias (1905) and undoubtedly applies to other dino- 

 ilagellates. 



The first histological study of luminous tissue depends largely 

 on the use of the word " histological." Malpighi (1688) dissected 

 the lantern of a firefly and described tiny globules in the tissue. Since 

 then microscopical studies gave a somewhat inadequate account of 

 the light organs until after the middle of the nineteenth century. 

 Probably modern investigation should be ascribed to Leydig (1857) 

 and Kolliker (1857) for their accurate descriptions of the minute 

 structure of the lantern of lampyrids. 



Embryological studies began with the realization that the egg of 

 the firefly is luminous (Vintimillia, as quoted by Bartholin, 1647) 

 and that segmentation stages of ctenophore eggs will also luminesce 

 (Allman, 1862). Gueneau de Montbeillard (1782) raised glow- 

 worms from the egg through the many larval stages to pupa and 

 adult, describing the changes which occurred. The development of 

 light organs within the egg from fat body cells was first studied by 

 R. Vogel (1913) in the European glowworm, and by F. X. Williams 

 (1916) in the American firefly. 



The development of a complicated luminous organ in fish appears 

 to have been first studied by C. W. Greene (1899) for the California 

 toad-fish, Porichthys notatus. 



The habits of luminous animals, especially the firefly or glow- 

 worm were observed by many. Perhaps Pliny was the first to record 

 the habitat of the cicindela. J. C. Scaliger (1557) first saw the male 

 and female copulate. Early recognition of a purpose for the light 

 must be again attributed to Vintimillia in a letter to F. Columna 

 (quoted by Bartholin, 1647) , who realized that the light of the 



