420 Dr. Spurgin's Outlines of a PhUosophical 



apt to turn the rays of truth into a wrong direction ; and not 

 only so, but to be deceived in turn by the aberrations or fal- 

 lacious appearances exhibited by the surface of things. 



In no instance whatever have we a more striking example 

 of our being liable to fall into error, even with our eyes open ; 

 nay more, even with our eyes armed and guarded against all 

 j)ossible deception ! The statements of different observers 

 are so directly opposed to one another, that in perusing them 

 we have felt extremely desirous to view these globules for 

 ourselves, and to be guided in our decision concerning their 

 form and nature by what our own eyes could discern. But as 

 we might incur the charge of seeing what our own theorj' and 

 sentiments required, and thence with seeing what no one else 

 could, we must be content with the testimony already afforded : 

 and by collecting all the facts that are in agreement into one 

 heap, and not casting aside but rather keeping in view those 

 which are not, we may, perhaps, be fortunate enough to elicit 

 something from their conflicting testimony, that will conduct 

 us at length to a better acquaintance with these extraordinary 

 bodies. 



Malpighi, it seems, was one of the first to employ this in- 

 strument (the microscope) to investigate the blood ; and he with 

 many others described the globules merely as globules floating 

 in the serum and imparting to tiie blood its red colour. But 

 Leeuwenhoek, the greatest microscopic observer of all, by 

 paying very diligent attention to these bodies, professed to 

 have discovered that these were not simple spherules, but were 

 in fact composed of a series of globular bodies descending in 

 regular gradations : thus each of the red particles was sup- 

 posed to be made up of six colourless particles, and one of 

 these six to be made up of six other colourless particles ; so 

 that the red particle was made up of thirty-six colourless ones. 

 Although this account of the red globules proceeded from the 

 very highly celebrated Leeuwenhoek, and was made the basis 

 of many theories that were advanced by the physicians of his 

 and the following age, particularly by the renowned Bocr- 

 haave, yet it was at length disputed : and Lancisi and Senac, 

 and afterwards the great physiologist Haller, were among the 

 foremost lo discard the doctrine altogether, by denying such 

 a composition to have any but an imaginary existence. Hew- 

 son, Hunter, the Abbe Torre, Momo, and Dr. Young, differ 

 in their descrijjtions of these globules. The first described 

 them as consisting of a solid centre, surrounded by a vesicle 

 filled with a fluid, and sometimes assuming an elliptical form. 

 Hunter never could discern this latter circumstance, nor 



does 



