HI. Microfcopical ObferVations on the Seeds of fevered 
Eall-Iadia Wants, by Mr Anthony van Leeu- 
wenhoek, F. S. 
Delft in Holland, March 19. 1 766. 
To the Honourable the Members of the 
Royal Society in London. 
Honourable Gentlemen, 
I Now take the Liberty of communicating to you thefe 
my following Obfervations A certain ancient 
Surgeon, that is a great Golle&or of Foreign Curiofides, 
had entreated another Surgeon, for whom he had an - 
efteem, that when he was in the Eajl Indies, and difeo- 
ver’d in the Plants or Seeds of thofe Parts any particular 
operation or effeft, that he would impart fame of ’em to 
him, with an account of their Laid operation 3 whereup- 
on he had received from the Ea(l Indies the Seed of a 
Tree called Emane, of which the Defcription and Ope- 
ration is as follows 'Tis a Tree much about the 
bignefs of an Elder Tree, and the Flower, the Scent and 
Figure of it is not very different, bat the Branches are 
armed with Thorns ’Tis u fed inwardly by no bo- 
dy, excepting fome Women, that, difagreeing with their 
Husbands, make ufe of it in order to kill themfelves$ it 
being confequently a certain Poyfon When thefe 
Women have made fuch a Heathenifh and Impious Refo- 
lution, they take half a handful-of thofe Leaves, boyling 
530 them 
