430 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 167O. 



The learned and ingenious author of this book, with much industry under- 

 takes to evince, that there is no such thing as equivocal generation, but that 

 every animal is generated by the seed of another, (its parent,) or at least from 

 some living and uncorrupted plant, as out of oak-apples, and several protuber- 

 ances and excrescences of vegetables. 



First, then, in the assertion of the universal and true generation of insects 

 by a peculiar .and paternal seed, the author positively affirms, that he could 

 never find, by all the experiments arid observations he ever made (of which 

 he relates a great number made by himself upon all sorts of animals) that 

 any insects were ever bred from flesh, or fish, or putrefied plants, or any other 

 bodies, but such as flies had access unto, and scattered their seed upon ; he 

 having taken extraordinary care and pains to observe, that always on the flesh 

 before it did verminate, there sat flies of the self-same kind with those that 

 were afterwards produced thence ; and again, that no worms would ever come 

 from any flesh in vessels well covered, and defended from the access of flies ; 

 so that to him there is no generation of insects from any dead animals, but 

 such as have been fly-blown. 



And, lest it should be objected that the reason why, in vessels exactly 

 closed, no insect breeds, is the want of air necessary to all generation, he has 

 carefully covered several vessels with very fine Naples veil, for the air to enter 

 though flies could not ; but that no worms at all were bred there, notwith- 

 standing that many flies swarmed about them, invited by the smell of the flesh 

 inclosed therein. 



2,dly. To make out the other part of his position, viz. that those animals 

 that are not bred by the seed of other animals, are produced from some live 

 plant, or its excrescence ; this author esteems it not absurd to affirm, that that 



to Cosmo III. for with the family of the Medici literary and scientific merit led to preferment, and 

 was sure of receiving its due tribute of respect and reward. How highly the last-mentioned prince 

 tliought of Redi's labours, he further evinced by this circumstance, tliat after his death, which hap- 

 pened at Pisa in 1698, he caused a medal to be struck to perpetuate his name. His experiments on 

 vipers have been already noticed at p. 58, above referred to. By tiiese on insects he completely re- 

 futed the false doctrine handed down from the ancients, and blindly taught unto his days, respecting 

 the generation of this class of animals by putrefaction j whereas he proves that they are produced from 

 eggs deposited by tlie females in or upon the putrefying substances where they are found. In his 

 treatise on animals that live witliin other living animals, there are, besides his account of intestinal 

 worms, many original observations concerning serpents, snails, tortoises, &c. His letters (which 

 form two 8vo. vols.) contain a variety of medical cases and remarks, with observations relative to 

 anatomy, natural history, and experimental philosophy. Redi's style is regarded by his countrymen 

 as highly classical, and he is often quoted as a standard authority in the dictionary of the academy 

 Delia Crusca. His collected works (comprising, besides the treatises already mentioned, his poems 

 and writings on literary and miscellaneous subjects) amount to 7 vols, in 4to. 



