MEMOIR OF SWAMMERDAM. 25 



science, Swammerdam, for a time, was only a silent 

 auditor ; but his natural reserve by degrees wore 

 off, and he not only took an active share in them, 

 hut delighted and surprised his fellow-guests by 

 clearly demonstrating the structure and functions of 

 the viscera of the lower animals, which had hitherto 

 been supposed, owing to their minuteness and deli- 

 cacy, to be beyond the reach of human scrutiny. 

 His talents and disposition appear to have attached 

 Thevenot to him warmly ; and this feeling was as 

 ardently returned, for Swammerdam declared shortly 

 before his death, that he had never possessed so 

 faithful and valuable a friend. Through Thevenot's 

 good offices, he was introduced, and strongly recom- 

 mended, to Conrad Van Beuningen of Amsterdam, 

 at that time ambassador at the court of France, 

 which opened up a new channel through which many 

 benefits were conveyed to him after his return to his 

 native city. 



//For three years subsequent to the period referred 

 to, Swammerdam devoted the greater portion of his 

 time to the study of physic and human anatomy. 

 This he was induced to do, both from a desire to 

 take a degree in medicine, and to enter upon the 

 practice of it as a profession. The first fruit of his 

 study were communicated to a society formed by the 

 principal physicians of Amsterdam, for the cultiva- 

 tion of Medicine and Anatomy, and were subse- 

 quently published in their transactions under the 

 superintendence of Casper Commelin. The subject 

 was the Spinal Marrow. Of this he made a valuable 



