THE RISE OF EMBRYOLOGY 205 



of the embryo to pre-exist within the egg. He thought that, 

 possibly, the blood-vessels were in the form of tubes, closely 

 wrapped together, which by becoming filled with blood were 

 distended. Nevertheless, in the treatises mentioned above 

 he is very temperate in his expressions on the whole matter, 

 and evidently believed in the new formation of many parts. 



The portrait of Malpighi shown in Fig. 62 is taken from 

 his life by Atti. From descriptions of his personal appear- 

 ance (see page 58) one would think that this is probably a 

 better likeness than the strikingly handsome portrait painted 

 by Tabor, and presented by Malpighi to the Royal Society 

 of London. For a reproduction of the latter see page 59. 



Malpighi's Rank. — On the whole, Malpighi should rank 

 above Harvey as an embryologist, on account of his dis- 

 coveries and fuller representation, by drawings and descrip- 

 tions, of the process of development. As Sir Michael Foster 

 has said: "The first adequate description of the long series 

 of changes by which, as they melt the one into the other, 

 like dissolving views, the little white opaque spot in the egg 

 is transformed into the feathered, living, active bird, was 

 given by Malpighi. And where he left it, so for the most 

 part the matter remained until even the present century. 

 For this reason we may speak of him as the founder of 

 embryology." 



The Period of Wolff 



Between Harvey and Wolff, embryology had become 

 dominated by the theory that the embryo exists already 

 pre-formed within the egg, and, as a result of the rise of this 

 new doctrine, the publications of Wolff had a different setting 

 from that of any of his predecessors. It is only fair to say 

 that to this circumstance is owing, in large part, the prom- 

 inence of his name in connection with the theory of epigenesis. 



