GENERATION. 



voided per ainun. Laftly, the gci-m may be detained in the 

 Fallopian tube, without arriving at the uterus. Tiie llruc- 

 ture of the pai-t does not allow it to dilate fufficiently to 

 contain a fuU-fized child, and it accordingly burfls, in ge- 

 nera], long before that time, and the patient perifhcs from 

 bleeding. 



We muft allow, that the efcape of any thing from the 

 ovarium in the human fubjeft, or other mammalia, is rather 

 inferred than dircclly proved ; and that we cannot fee the 

 germs in the Fallopian tube, on their palTage to the uterus ; 

 m fo obfcure a Rate are tlie rudiments of the future animal 

 it the time, and immediately after conception. 



Vv''e have reprefented the corpus luteum as the confe- 

 quence of a fruitful copulation ; but there is fome doubt 

 whetlier the latter circumftance be an etfential condition of 

 its production. It is well known that birds lay eggs witli- 

 out the concourfe of the male, and fuch eggs arc unproduc- 

 tive. Valifr.eri alTerts, that he has feen corpora Uitea in the 

 ovariee of virgins ; and Blumenbach appears, in the follow- 

 ing quotation, to agree with him in opinion on the fubjeft. 

 ""Porro autem non minus verum ell innuptas aves ejufmodi 

 ova fubventanea ex meehanica titillatione genitalium conci- 

 pere pofTe, quod quidem phyfiologise comparatse, adeoque 

 omnis zoologice vcre fcientificx parens Arillotcles, et pretc- 

 rito feculo oculatiffimus Harveius animadvertit, quorum hie 

 adeo libidinofas interdum avcs effe alTeruit, ut fi dorfum 

 carum manu folum leniter tangas, ftatim procubant, et ori- 

 ficium uterinum nudcnt et exporrigant, quod fi blande digito 

 demulferis, vago murmure, alarumque gefticulatione, gra- 

 tam veneris dulccdinem eafdem exprimere ; quin etiam fe- 

 mellas ova inde concipere, in turdo, merula, aliifque fe effe 

 expertura. Idem de pfittaco refcrt, qaem uxor ejus diu in 

 delitiis habuerat, fxpe hunc ludibundum et lafcivum fedentis 

 gremium adiiffe ubi dorfum fibi demulceri geftiverit quaffa- 

 tifque alls et blando ftrcpitu fummam animi fui Ixtitiam 

 tejlatus fuerit. Non diu autem polt blandas has contrefta- 

 tiones eundem segrotalTe, crebrifq\ie tandem convuliionibns 

 obortis exfpiraffe. Diffefto itaque cadavere ovum fere per- 

 feftum fe in utero ejas reperiiife ; fed, ob defeftum maris, 

 corruptum. Ignofcunt marea iftarum virginum, fi lutea in 

 earum ovariis corpora non abfimilcm originem agnovilTe fuf- 

 picor ; utpote qui in puellari corpore, non minus quani in 

 turdis et merulis eundem afftri venerei in ovarii veficulas 

 effeftum effe reor, fitve is viri amplexu, fitve lefbio quodam 

 artificio excltatus. Quadrant in cam fufpicioncm, quas 

 diximus circumftantix, fub quibus corpora lutea in iimuptis 

 obfervarunt r.-.:ftores ; xtas fcilicet, a decimo quarto inde 

 anno, hyfterica quarundam affeftio, &c. Num climati quo- 

 que aliquid tribuendum, decidere non audco, annotans tan- 

 tummodo, quotquot uiihi haftenus apud auftores occurre- 

 runt ejufmodi baud inficiandi cafus, eos non nili in Italicis 

 virginibus obfervatos fuiffe." Specimen phyuologi:c com- 

 parata;, Goetting, 17S9, p. 4 — 9. 



Phyfiologirts have queftioned whether a fecond impregna- 

 tion can take place after a fruitfid copulation. Inltances of 

 twins, born with different degrees of developem.ent, have 

 been confidered as proofs of fupcrfetation. The reafoning 

 does not feera very conclufive, the fail does not clearly prove 

 that the t'.vo fcctufes were conceived at different and diftant 

 periods, fince tlie growth and developement of one germ 

 may have been prevented by various caufes. The quelUon 

 is, whether a woman, having only a fmgle uterus, can con- 

 ceive two or more months after a fruitful copulation ; and at 

 prefent we have no fadts to prove the affirmative, while pre- 

 sumption is ftrongly againil it. The thing appears more 

 eafy, if we fuppofe the two conceptions to be feparsted by 

 a very fhort interval. Thus wc can conceive that tlie Ame- 



rican lady mentioned bv BufFon, who received the embraces 

 of her hufband, and of a negro flave, in the fame morning, 

 may have brought forth twins of different colours. 



On the fubjedls of the preceding paragi'aphs, the reader 

 may refer to the ample collection of facts, in the eighth 

 tolume of Haller's Elements ; to Spallanzani's differtatioua 

 relative to the natural hiflory of animals and vegetables, 

 vol 2d. ; to Haighton's experimental inquiry concerning 

 animal impregnation, in the Philofophical Tranfaftions for 

 1797 ; to Cruiklbanlvs's experiments, in which, on the third 

 day after impregnation, the ova of rabbits were found in tiie. 

 Fallopian tubes, and on the fourth day after impregnatiort 

 in the uterus itfelf, with the liril appearances of tfie faSus ; 

 ibid. 



The various opinions concerning the fource from which 

 the new animal is derived, and the manner in which its forma- ' 

 tion is effetted, form the lafl fubjeft of the prefent articfe. 

 In the feience of life, as in all others, the fpeculations and 

 hypothefes concerning any matter are in an inverfe ratio to 

 the number of afcertained fafts ; and perfons are difpofed to 

 talk more, in proportion, as they know lefs. Hence the vafl 

 abundance of theories of generation, which almoft exhaufted 

 the patience even of Halkr, and extorted from him the fol- 

 lowing very fenfible obfervations. " Iterum ingratifTmiunx 

 mihi impendet opus, fcribere de iis, qua; multis a natura cir- 

 cumjeilis tenebris velata, fenfuum luci inacceffa, hominum 

 agitantur opinionibus ; erit de iis ferenda fententia, in qui- 

 bus quod difpliceat, quod infirmura lit, ubique fe offert, id 

 autem parciilimc, in quo animus, tanquam in firmo aliquo 

 fundamento, adquiefcat. Erunt libranda cum phxnomenis 

 contraria phenomena, cum argnmentis contraria argumenta, 

 ut demum nihil docenm certius, quam nihil me docere. Et 

 eft tamen etiam in defperatione de problematis folutione fua 

 utilitas, proximumque eft vero, nihil docere, quod falfum 

 fit." The lirll fubjeft of our inquiry will be, from what 

 quarter the materials of the new aniinal arc derived ; then, 

 by what caufes thefe materials are formed into an animal, 

 fuch as we have fhewn to be produced in the female by con-. 

 ception. Tlie opinions concerning the fource of the off- 

 fpring may be reduced to three ; one gives to woman only 

 the humble ofRce of affording a proper nidus for the due- 

 evolution of the foetus, which, according to this theory, 

 already exiils in the male femen, and requires only a fruit- 

 ful habitation. Another direftly reverfcs this pofition ; it 

 puts the female in pofTeffion of every requifite for the forma- 

 tion of a new animal, and confiders the male a mere ftimulat- 

 ing engine, to call the latent powers of the female into life. 

 The third gives not pre-eminence to either fex, but, with 

 the mutual embrace, fuppofes a mutual effeft to be pro- 

 duced ; it regards both the male and female, as concurring 

 cffentially in the work of reproduftion, by each affording a 

 fomething, which, when united under proper circumftances, 

 becomes the proximate caufe of impregnation. 



Tlie ancients adinitted a feminal liquor in both fexes, and 

 concluded, not unnaturally, that the fixtus was formed by 

 tlie union of thefe. Hippocrates and Ariftotle held this 

 opinion, and conceived that the fex of the offspring depended 

 on fome predominance in quality of one or the other fluid. 

 However obfcure the mode of this mixture may feem, fpe- 

 cious arguments are not wanting in fupport of the opinion. 

 Tile neceflity of the co-operation of the two fexes, in pro- 

 ducing a fcctus, in alraoil every in (lance in the animal king- 

 dom, may be alleged in favour of the doftrine. Alfo the 

 exiflence of different fexes in almoft ail plants ; the fecundat. 

 ing power of the male dull, and the perpetual prefeuce of 

 the feed before fecundation ; which, however, remains un- 

 fruitful without the influence of the former. The relem- 



blance 



