THE LIGHT OF CRYSTALLOGRAPHY. 177 



possessed, a precise form, which viewed according to 

 the laws of crystallography, was either the same form 

 of crystal as that of the entire organism or a derivative 

 from it. In explanation of his views as applied to the 

 human body, he constructed, a triangle, the two sides 

 of which, meeting at a point above his head, passed 

 obliquely downwards, touching the most projecting 

 part of his shoulders, as far as his feet, whilst the base 

 was a line drawn across at the level of the soles. He 

 found that one side — viz. the right, was lono;er than 

 the left, in his own case to the extent of two inches ; 

 and this preponderance of the right over the left side 

 was invariably manifested by the different organic 

 forms he examined. He then subdivided this triangle 

 by transverse, vertical, and oblique lines, and found 

 that they or their points of intersection corresponded 

 to certain well-defined anatomical points or lines, as 

 the epigastrium, umbilicus, ribs, knees, wrist, etc. By 

 placing one of these triangles on a flat surface, and 

 erectino- from its sides and base three trianoles of the 

 same form, which met above, he enclosed a space in 

 which the body he was examining could be contained, 

 and the tetrahedron formed by the apposition of the 

 edges of these four triangles he called the crystal. He 

 argued what measures a man will measure a tree, and 

 it was curious to sec the comparison between his o\ui 

 figure triangled and ;i tree as ;i whole, including roots, 

 their fibrils, the stems, and twi lie looked in every 



field of organic life fir illustration to Ins theory t<> 

 th'' vine and other trees, i" fruits of borne and foreign 



VOL. I. N 



