f 12-^7 1 
Puftules, for now and then in fomc few, I could not fee 
any. 
And tho by reafon of their minutenefs, and colour the 
fame with the Skin, *tis hard todifcern thefe Creatures upon 
the Surface of the Body, neverthelefs I have foraetimes feen 
them upon the Joynts of the Fingers in the little Furrows of 
the Cntkula, where with their (hirp Head they firfl: begin 
to enter, and by this Gnawing and Working in with their 
Body, they caufe a moft troubkfome Itching^ till they are got 
quite under the Cuticula -^ and then 'tis eafy to fee how they 
make ways from place to place by their biting and eating, 
one fingle one happening fomctimes to make feveral Puftules^ 
of which I have often found two or three together^ and for 
the moft part very near to one another. 
With great earneftnefs I examined whether or no thefe 
Animalcules laid Eggs, and after many enquiries, at laft by 
good Fortune while I was drawing the Figure of one of 
'em by a Microfcope, from the hinder part I faw drop m 
very fmall and fcarcely vifible white Egg, almoft Tranfpa- 
rent, and oblong, like to the Seed of a Pine-apple, as is feen 
in Fig. 2 and 4, 
I oftentimes found thefe Eggs afterwards, from which no 
doubt thefe Creatures are generated, as all others are,that is, 
from a Male and Femvile, tho I have not yet been able by 
any difference of Figure todiftinguifh the Sex of thefe Ani- 
mals. 
From this Difcovery it may be no difficult matter to give 
a more Rational account of the Itch^ than Authors have 
hitherto delivered us. It being very probable that this 
contagious Difeafe owes its origin neither to the Melancholy 
Humour of Galen^ nor the eorrofive acid of Sylvius, nor the 
particular Ferment of Vd?i HelmoM, nor the irriratinp Salts 
in the Seri^m or Lywpha of the Moderns, but is no other 
than the continual biting of thefe Aniir^alcules in the Skin, 
by means of which fome portion of the Scrum ouzing out 
Ppppppps thro 
