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PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS 1684 LEEWENHOECK Microbiology GREW Fingerprints
Issue No 159

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October 21, 2026 at 11:36 AM
zoognosisjoy.bsky.social
No one told me what a weird little freak Leewenhoeck was. This is awesome, dude was wild. 🧪
An abstract of a Letter from Mr. Anthony Leewenhoeck at Delft, dated Sep. 17. 1683. containing some Microscopical Observations, about Animals in the scurf of the Teeth, the substance call'd Worms in the Nose, the Cuticula consisting of Scales. I Formerly sent some Observations about Spittle, which I find have been Printed in the Lectures and Collections of Mr. R. H. in the year 1678. Since that time l have often observed my Spittle, out of this Consideration, that if there be any Animals dispersed in our Body, they may at some time or other, be emptied out of the Ductus Salivales into the Mouth. But my expectation in this particular has fail'd, for I have perceived no Animals, or other thing in Spittle than what I formerly mentioned. Tho my Teeth are kept usually very clean, nevertheless when I view them in a Magnifying Glass, I find growing between them a little white matter as thick as wetted flower: in this substance tho I could not perceive any motion, I judged there might probably be living Creatures. I therfore took some of this flower and mixt it either with pure rain water wherein were no Animals; or else with some of my Spittle (having no Air bubbles to cause a motion in it) and then to my great surprize perceived that the aforesaid matter contained very many small living Animals, which moved themselves very extravagantly, the biggest sort had the shape of A. their motion was strong and nimble, and they darted themselves thro the water or spittle, as a Jack or Pike does thro the water. These were generally not many in number. The 2d. sort had the shape of B. these spun about like a Top, and took a Course sometimes on one side, as is shown at G. and D. they were more in number than the first. In the 3d. sort I could not well distinguish the Figure, for sometimes it seem'd to be an Oval, and other times a Circle. These were so small that they seem'd no bigger than E and therewithal so swift, that I can compare them to nothing better than a swarm of Flies...
November 5, 2025 at 9:06 PM