Medicine, 247 



ganic particles, are to be found in the semen of 

 both sexes ; and he derives that of the female from 

 the ovaria, denying, at the same time, that any 

 ovum exists in those parts. But in this he is com- 

 monly supposed to be mistaken. 

 • The opinion more generally adopted within a 

 few years is, that an impregnation of the ovum 

 by the influence of the semen masculinum is es- 

 sential to conception. The Abbe Spallanzani 

 has thrown much light on this obscure subject; 

 he labours to prove, by a variety of experiments, 

 that the animalcule exists entire in the female 

 ovum, and that the male semen is only necessary 

 to vivify and put it in motion. 



This part of physiology furnishes one among 

 numerous instances, in which modern improve- 

 ments in science serve to support and confirm re- 

 ligious faith. It was mentioned, in the last chap- 

 ter, that toward the close of the seventeenth cen- 

 tury, the doctrine of equivocal generation began to 

 be discarded by the ablest physiologists; still, 

 how^ever, it continued to find some advocates long 

 after the beginning of the eighteenth. The athe- 

 istical tendency of this doctrine is obvious; for if 

 a single animal could be produced in this manner, 

 what should prevent the universe from having 

 come into existence without an intelligent author.?' 

 Accordingly this mode of accounting for the pro- 

 duction of animals was, in general, fondly em- 

 braced by those who wished to exclude God from 

 the creation and government of the world. But 

 all the experiments and discoveries which w^ere 

 made, on the subject of generation, in the course 

 of the century under review, have served to dis- 

 credit this doctrine; so that it is now considered, 

 by the most eminent naturalists, as exploded. It 

 is true, difficulties, or rather darkness and doubt, 

 ^iH exist, particularly^ with respect to the genera- 



