5g2 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1683, 



much advanced the doctrine of univocal generation, and bid very fair for the 

 exploding of that common error, of their production from putrefaction, yet one 

 great difficulty still remains with me, how to account for several of those that 

 are bred in animal bodies ; not such as we may suppose to be hatched from the 

 eggs of the like kind, that are received with the food or other ways, but of 

 whcih we cannot meet with a parallel, or of the same species, out of the body, 

 in the whole world as is known besides. I shall instance only in two, the Lum- 

 bricus Latus, and Teres. Of the former I shall give at present only these re- 

 marks ; wherein its difference from any other does more remarkably appear ; 

 1. being fiat ; 2. jointed after a peculiar manner ; 3. the great disproportion of 

 both extremes; 4. the vast length it is often of; 5. the head so remarkably beset 

 with hooked spikes ; 6. what has never that I know of, been remarked of this 

 or any other insect or animal in the world beside, the great number of mouths 

 it has; more than the poets feigned Briareus had hands, or Argus eyes, viz. in 

 every joint one. 7- That any part of the body being broken off from the rest, 

 should still remain alive, and thrive. 



My other instance is the lumbricus teres intestinalis ; which, though it holds 

 more analogy with those called intestina terrae, or common earth-worms, as to 

 the outward shape and form ; yet within are vastly different; as by comparing 

 the anatomy of both will appear. And I very much question, as to the con- 

 trivance of the inward organs, whether we can meet with any parallel of it in 

 the world, out of the microcosm, or animal bodies, besides. There is nothing 

 more plain, than that these worms are propagated by an univocal generation; 

 there being so perfect a distinction of sexes, male and female ; and the organs 

 belonging to each so curiously contrived, so conspicuous and plain, that they 

 may further illustrate the late inventions of some, and seem to show how solicit- 

 ous nature is in preserving and propagating the meanest species. But as in this 

 worm, there is a most evident discrimination of sexes ; so in earth-worms, there 

 is nothing of this nature to be found, but they are perfect hermaphrodites, each 

 worm having the organs belonging both to male and female ; which is common 

 to them with leeches, snails, &c. 



I shall begin with the jointed worm ; and shall pursue the method I have 

 already given, in more strictly considering those particulars, which I have laid 

 down, to discriminate this from all other sorts of worms. And the first is, its 

 being flat; hence called lumbricus latus, and by Hippocrates, Ta*i/i«, i.e. fascia, 

 and by some in English, the tape-worm. This flatness of the body, sufficiently 

 distinguishes it from the others, which are usually bred in the body ; and are 

 either short and small, and then called ascarides; or longer, as the teretes; 



