THE EXPERIMENTS. 25} 



uniting, it forms, in the animal body, other li- 

 ving creatures, as the tape-worm, the alcarides, 

 the worms fomtimes found in the veins, in the 

 fmufes of the brain, in the liver, &c. Animals 

 of this kind owe not their exillence to the ge- 

 neration of individuals of the fame fpecies. It 

 is, therefore, natural to think, that they are 

 produced by an extravafation of the organic 

 matter, or by an inability in the ladeal veffels 

 to abforb the quantity of it prefented to them. 

 But we fhall afterwards have occafion to exa- 

 mine more in detail the nature of thefe worms, 

 and of other animals which are produced in a 

 limilar manner. 



When this organic matter, which may be con- 

 fidered as an univerfal femen, is affembled in 

 great quantities, as in the feminal fluids, and in 

 the mucilaginous part of the infufions of plants, 

 its firft effed: is to vegetate, or rather to produce 

 vegetating beings. Thefe zoophytes fwell, ex- 

 tend, ramify, and then produce globular, oval, 

 and other fmall bodies of different figures, all of 

 which enjoy a fpecies of animal life ; they have 

 a progreffive motion, which is fometimes very 

 rapid, and fometimes more flow. The globules 

 themfelvcs decompofc, change their figure, and 

 become fmaller ; and, in proportion as they di- 

 minifli in fizc, the rapidity of their motion in- 

 creafes. 



I have fometimes Imagined, tliatthe venom of 

 the viper, and even the polfon of enraged ani- 

 mals, 



