346 
Nature  and  Structure  of  Cochineal,  j 
Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
August,  1913. 
supposed,  however,  by  many  others  to  be  in  the  nature  of  a  vege- 
table product  and  spoken  of  as  a  fruit  or  berry.  Even  as  late  as 
the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  a  controversy  waged  in 
Holland  as  to  whether  cochineal  was  of  animal  or  vegetable  origin. 
This  was  finally  settled  apparently  by  that  great  pioneer  micro- 
scopist,  Antonius  van  Leeuwenhoek,  who  rather  conclusively  showed 
it  to  be  of  animal  origin. 
Leeuwenhoek's  article  on  Cochineal  was  written  probably  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  It  will  be  found  in  a 
chapter  in  a  large  work,  entitled  "  Select  Works  of  Antony  van 
Leeuwenhoek,"  translated  by  Samuel  Hoole.  A  copy  of  this  book 
is  in  the  Public  Library  of  New  York  City.  Leeuwenhoek  2  in  this 
article  says : 
"  When  I  first  applied  myself  to  investigate  the  nature  of  cochineal,  I 
concurred  in  the  general  opinion  which  then  prevailed  that  it  was  the  fruit 
of  some  tree;  and  having  at  the  request  of  the  Honorable  Mr.  Boyle  further 
prosecuted  the  examination,  each  single  piece  or  fruit,  as  I  then  thought  it, 
appeared  to  contain  one  hundred  or  upward  of  what  semed  to  me  to  be 
very  small  seeds,  shaped  like  eggs,  each  enclosed  in  its  particular  membrane ; 
these  objects,  however,  I  could  not  bring  into  view,  until  the  cochineal  had 
lain  in  water  for  some  hours,  and  then  the  outer  skin  being  taken  off,  these 
apparent  seeds  which  were  very  soft  presented  themselves ;  the  membrane 
was  filled  with  a  watery  substance,  of  a  lovely  red,  but  the  seeds  were  of  a 
dark  red  or  tawny  color.  The  seeds  themselves,  upon  being  dissected,  ap- 
peared to  consist  of  nothing  but  very  minute  globules  of  a  red  color. 
"  The  remainder  of  the  cochineal,  or  that  part  of  it  which  enclosed  all 
these  seeds,  was  composed  of  very  thin  membranes,  which  were  also  of 
a  red  color,  except  that  a  very  small  quantity  was  to  be  seen  of  a  certain 
colorless  substance,  which  to  me  had  the  appearance  of  an  oil.  And  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  general  appearance  of  the  figure  of  cochineal.  I  know  not  any 
manner  of  expressing  it,  better  by  comparison,  than  with  a  parcel  of  dried 
black  currants  with  their  skins  and  seeds,  regard  nevertheless  must  be  had 
for  the  different  sizes  of  the  currants  and  the  cochineal.  Lastly  when  I 
divided  the  membranes  or  seeds  of  which  cochineal  appeared  to  consist, 
into  as  thin  portions  or  particles  as  I  was  able,  those  thin  particles  did  not 
as  I  may  say,  exhibit  any  particular  color. 
"  The  preceding  observations  I  communicated  by  letter  to  Mr.  Boyle, 
from  whom  I  received  an  answer  to  the  following  effect:  that  he  had  under- 
stood from  the  Governor  of  Jamaica  that  cochineal  was  produced  from  the 
fruit  of  the  fig-tree,*  when  in  a  state  of  decay,  at  which  time  there  proceeded 
*  Mylius 9  (loc.  cit.)  mentions  "Indian  Fig"  as  a  synonym  for  the 
Nopal  plant  on  which  the  cochineal  insect  is  found.  The  fruits  of  the 
Mexican  Opuntia  (Nopal ea  coccinellifera)  are  commonly  known  as  the 
"  prickly  pear  "  and  hence  the  plant  is  sometimes  referred  to  as  "  fig  tree." 
