t 317 1 



AMCENITATES ACADEMICS. Vol. Vt. 

 1764. pp. 486. 



10 1. Ge'NERaTio Ambigena. C. L. Ramjirom, 

 ^759- 



The author begins his fubjeft with a concife 

 view of the antient and modern theories relating to 

 this obfcure affair He obferves, that the antient 

 dodlrine of equivocal generation prevailed in gene- 

 ral, until Harvey exploded it, and taught that 

 every animal is generated ex ovo and that his fyf- 

 tern may now be confidered as including a double 

 hypothefis : firft, that taught by himfelf, which 

 fuppofes the entire rudiments of the future fc^tus 

 to be prefent in the ovum^ and only waiting for 

 animation from the vivifying principle, or aura 

 genitalis mafculina j the other, that of the feminal 

 animalcule entering into the ovum^ according to the 

 theory arifmg from Lewenhoeck's microfcopical 

 difcoveries. We have before obferved that Lin- 

 naeus very early forfook Lewenhoeck\ theory, in 

 confequence of attending Lieherkuhn^% demonftra- 

 tions. The argument of the prefent hypothefis 

 tends to (hew, that both fexes are equally efficient 

 in this work ; leaning however to the following 

 opinion, " that the external form, as well as the 

 fpecific energy, of the vital functions, are princi- 

 -pally derived from the male parent." This is 

 partly the opinion alfo of the very eminent Dr. 

 HalleTy Phyf. § 786. Our intended brevity does 

 mt allow us to purfue our author through all his 



arguments 



