THE RISE OF EMBRYOLOGY 205 
of the embryo to pre-cxist within the egg. He thought that, 
possibly, the blood-vessels were in the form of tubes, closely 
wrapped together, which by becoming filled with blood were 
distended. Nevertheless, in the treatises mentioned above 
he is very temperate in his expressions on the whole matter, 
and evidently believed in the new formation of many parts. 
The portrait of Malpighi shown in Fig. 62 is taken from 
his life by Atti. From descriptions of his personal appear- 
ance (see page 58) one would think that this is probably a 
better likeness than the strikingly handsome portrait painted 
by Tabor, and presented by Malpighi to the Royal Society 
of London. For a reproduction of the latter sce page 50. 
Malpighi’s Rank.—On the whole, Malpighi should rank 
above Harvey as an embryologist, on account of his dis- 
coveries and fuller representation, by drawings and descrip- 
tions, of the process of development. As Sir Michael Foster 
has said: “The first adequate description of the long series 
of changes by which, as they melt the one into the other, 
like dissolving views, the little white opaque spot in the egg 
is transformed into the feathered, living, active bird, was 
given by Malpighi. And where he left it, so for the most 
part the matter remained until even the present century. 
For this reason we may speak of him as the founder of 
embryology.”’ 
THE PERIOD OF WOLFF 
Between Harvey and Wolff, embryology had become 
dominated by the theory that the embryo exists already 
pre-formed within the egg, and, as a result of the rise of this 
new doctrine, the publications of Wolff had a different setting 
from that of any of his predecessors. It is only fair to say 
that to this circumstance is owing, in large part, the prom- 
inence of his name in connection with the theory of epigenesis. 
