MEMOIR OP SWAMMERDAM. 
25 
science, Swammerdam, for a time, was only a silent 
auditor ; but his natural reserve by degrees wore 
off, and he not only took an active share in them, 
but delighted and surprised his fellow-guests by 
clearly demonstrating the structure and functions of 
the viscera of the lower animals, which had hitherto 
been supposed, owing to their minuteness and deli- 
cacy, to be beyond the reach of human scrutiny. 
His talents and disposition appear to have attached 
Thevenot to him warmly ; and this feeling was as 
ardently returned, for Swammerdam declared shortly 
before his death, that lie had never possessed so 
faithful and valuable a friend. Through Thevenot’s 
good offices, he was introduced, and strongly recom- 
mended, to Conrad Van Beuningen of Amsterdam, 
at that time ambassador at the court of France, 
which opened up a new channel through which many 
benefits were conveyed to him after his return to his 
native city. 
For three years subsequent to the period referred 
to, Swammerdam devoted the greater portion of his 
time to the study of physic and human anatomy. 
This he w*as induced to do, both from a desire to 
take a degree in medicine, and to enter upon the 
practice of it as a profession. The first fruit of his 
study were communicated to a society formed by the 
principal physicians of Amsterdam, for the cultiva- 
tion of Medicine and Anatomy, and were subse- 
quently published in their transactions under the 
superintendence of Casper Commclin. The subject 
was the Spinal Marrow. Of this he made a valuable 
