282 HISTORY OF 



ralists and schoolmen of succeeding ages, with blind venera- 

 tion. At length Steno and Harvey, taking anatomy for their 

 guide, gave mankind a nearer view of nature just advancing into 

 animation. These perceived, in all such animals as produced 

 their young alive, two glandular bodies, near the womb, resem- 

 bling that ovarj', or cluster of small eggs, which is found in 

 fowls ; and from the analogy between both, they gave these also 

 the name of ovaria. These, as they resembled eggs, they natu- 

 rally concluded had the same offices ; and, therefore, they were in- 

 duced to think that all animals, of what kind soever, were pro- 

 duced from eggs. At first, however, there was some alterca- 

 tion raised against this system : for, as these ovaria were se- 

 parate from the womb, it was objected that they could not be 

 any way instrumental in replenishing that organ, with which they 

 did not communicate. But, upon more minute inspection, Fal- 

 lopius, the anatomist, perceived two tubular vessels depending 

 from the womb, which, like the hoins of a snail, had a power of 

 erecting themselves, of embracing the ovaria, and of receiving 

 the eggs, in order to be fecundated by the seminal liquor. This 

 discovery seemed, for a long time after, to fix the opinions of 

 ]jhilosophers. The doctrine of Hippocrates was re-established, 

 and the chief business of generation was ascribed to the female. 

 This was for a long time the established opinion of the schools ; 

 but Leuwenhoeck, once more, shook the whole system, and pro- 

 duced a new schism among the lovers of speculation. Upon 

 examining the seminal liquor of a great variety of male animals 

 with microscopes, which helped his sight more than that of any o 1 

 his successors, he perceived therein infinite numbers of little 

 living creatures, like tadpoles, very brisk, and floating in the 

 fluid with a seeming voluntary motion. Each of these, there- 

 fore, was thought to be the rudiments of an animal, similar to 

 that from which it was produced ; and this only required a re- 

 ception from the female, together with proper nourishment, to 

 complete its growth. The business of generation was now, 

 therefore, given back to the male a second time, by many ; 

 while others suspended their assent, and chose rather to confess 

 ignorance than to embrace error.' 



In this manner has the dispute continued for several ages, 



1 Bnnet Considerations sur les Corps Org-ariiges. 



