66 BIOLOGY AND ITS MAKERS 
from Montpellier, in 1878, and which is prefaced by an 
account of the life and labors of Malpighi. 
Anatomy of Plants.—Malpighi’s anatomy of plants con- 
stitutes one of his best, as well as one of his most extensive 
works. In the folio edition of his works, 1675-79, the 
Anatome Plantarum occupies not less than 152 pages and 
is illustrated by ninety-three plates of figures. It comprises 
an exposition of the structure of bark, stem, roots, seeds, the 
process of germination, and includes a treatise on galls, etc., 
etc. 
In this work the microscopic structure of plants is amply 
illustrated, and he anticipated to a certain degree the ideas on 
the cellular structure of plants. Burnett says: ‘His obser- 
vations appear to have been very accurate, and not only did 
he maintain the cellular structure of plants, but also declared 
that it was composed of separate cells, which he designated 
‘utricles.’”” Thus did he foreshadow the cell theory of plants 
as developed by Schlciden in the nineteenth century. When 
it came to interpretations, he made several errors. Applying 
his often-asserted principle of analogies, he concluded that 
the vessels of plants are organs of respiration and of circula- 
tion, from a certain resemblance that they bear to the breath- 
ing-tubes of insects. But his observations on structure are 
good, and if he had accomplished nothing more than this 
work on plants he would have a place in the history of botany. 
Work in Embryology.— Difficult as was his task in insect 
anatomy and plant histology, a more difficult one remains to 
be mentioned, vis., his observations of the development of 
animals. He had pushed his researches into the finer struc- 
ture of crganisms, and now he attempted to answer this 
question: How does one of these organisms begin its life, 
and by what series of steps is its body built up? He turned 
to the chick, as the most available form in which to get an 
insight into this process, but he could not extend his obser- 
