121 



A HISTORY OF 



therein infinite numbers of little living crea- 

 tures, like tadpoles, very brisk, and floating 

 in the fluid with a seeming voluntary motion. 

 Each of these, therefore, was thought to be 

 the rudiments of an animal, similar to that 

 from which it was produced ; and this only 

 required a reception from the female, toge- 

 ther with proper nourishment, to complete 

 its growth. The business of generation was 

 now, therefore, given back to the male a se- 

 cond time, by many; while others suspended 

 their assent, and chose rather to confess ig- 

 norance than to embrace error.* 



In this manner has the dispute continued 

 for several ages, some accidental discovery 

 serving, at intervals, to renew the debate, 

 and revive curiosity. It was a subject where 

 speculation could find much room to display 

 itself; and Mr. Buffon, who loved to specu- 

 late, would not omit such an opportunity of 

 giving scope to his propensity. According to 

 this most pleasing of all naturalists, the mi- 

 croscope discovers that the seminal liquor, not 

 only ot males, but of females also, abounds 

 in these moving little animals, which have 

 been mentioned above, and that they appear 

 equally brisk in either fluid. These he takes 

 not to be real animals, but organical parti- 

 cles, which, being simple, cannot be said to 

 be organized themselves, but go to the com- 

 position of all organized bodies whatsoever; 

 in the same manner as a tooth, in the wheel 

 of a watch, cannot be called either the wheel 

 or the watch, and yet contributes to the sum 

 of the machine. These organical particles 

 are, according to him, diffused throughout all 

 nature, and to be found not only in the semi- 

 nal liquor, but in most other fluids in the 

 parts of vegetables, and all parts of animated 

 nature. As they happen, therefore, to be dif- 

 ferently applied, they serve to constitute a 

 part of the animal, or the vegetable, whose 

 growth they serve to increase, while the su- 

 perfluity is thrown off* in the seminal liquor 

 of both sexes, for the reproduction of other 

 animals or vegetables of the same species. 

 These particles assume different figures, ac- 

 cording to the receptacle into which they 

 enter ; falling into the womb, they unite into 

 a fostus ; beneath the bark of a tree they pul- 



Bonnet Considerations sui les Corps Organises. 



lulate into branches; and, in short, the same 

 particles that first formed the animal in the 

 womb, contribute to increase its growth when 

 brought forth.' 1 



To this system it has been objected, that 

 it is impossible to conceive organical sub- 

 stances without being organized ; and that, 

 if divested of organization themselves, they 

 could never make an organized body, as an 

 infinity of circles could never make a trian- 

 gle. It has been objected, that it is more 

 difficult to conceive the transformation of 

 these organical particles, than even that of 

 the animal, whose growth we are inquiring 

 after ; and this system, therefore, attempts to 

 explain one obscure thing by another still 

 more obscure. 



But an objection, still stronger than these t 

 has been advanced by an ingenious coun- 

 tryman of our own ; who asserts, that these 

 little animals, which thus appear swimming 

 and sporting in almost every fluid we exa- 

 mine with a microscope, are not real living 

 particles, but some of the more opaque parts 

 of the fluid, that are thus increased in size, 

 and seem to have a much greater motion 

 than they have in reality. For the motion 

 being magnified with the object, the smallest 

 degree of it will seem very considerable; 

 and a being almost at rest may, by these 

 means, be apparently put into violent action. 

 Thus, for instance, if we look upon the sails 

 of a windmill moving at a distance, they ap- 

 pear to go very slow ; but, if we approach 

 them, and thus magnify their bulk to our eye, 

 they go round with great rapidity. A micro- 

 scope, in the same manner, serves to bring 

 our eye close to the object, and thus to en- 

 large it; and not only increase the magni- 

 tude of its parts, but of its motion. Hence, 

 therefore, it would follow, that these organi- 

 cal particles, that are said to constitute the 

 bulk of living nature, are but mere optical 

 illusions ; and the system founded on them 

 must, like them, be illusive. 



These, and many other objections, have 

 been made to this system ; which, instead of 

 enlightening the mind, serve only to show, 

 that too close a pursuit of nature very often 

 leads to uncertainty. Happily, however, for 



b Mr. Buffon. 



