Wrote Letter XXVII of 1716-09-17 (AB 326) to Abraham Cornelis van Bleyswyck

Date:

September 17, 1716

Standard reference information

Cole's number:

217

AB/CL number:

326

AB/CL volume:

Text of the letter in the original Dutch and in English translation in Alle de Brieven / The Collected Letters is not yet available at the DBNL - De Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren.

The original manuscript is lost.

In this letter, Leeuwenhoek described an intestinal attack. At the time it had no name and Leeuwenhoek was the first to describe it. It is now known as diaphragmatic flutter or respiratory myoclonus, also known as belly dancer's syndrome.

Leeuwenhoek's summary

Leeuwenhoek's inhoudsopgave, summary of the contents, for Send-Brieven XXVII.

De Auteur beschryft zeker overval dat hy gehad heeft. Sterke braaking door het inneemen van warm water. Door dat braaken spyze overgegeven, die op het middagmaal daags te voren was genuttigt. Reden daar van gegeven. Uytlegging hoe dat de chyl door de darmen voortgestooten word. De Auteur had in dat overval geene behoorlyke beweginge in zyne darmen. Hoe de maag gestelt is in een welgesteld lichaam? Hoe de darmen bezet zynde de maag in haare loozinge beletten? Hoe de maag dan het middelschot in zyne beweginge belet? Hoe het middelschot de Longe prangt? enz. De opgestopte gal oorzaak van de hardlyvigheyt: de gal overvloedig in de darmen gestort, oorzaak van vier of vyf afgangen.

The author describes a certain attack that he had. Intense vomiting due to taking in warm water. Due to that vomiting, food thrown up that was eaten at lunch the day before. The reason for that given. Explaining how the chyle is pushed through the gut. The author had no proper movement in his gut during that attack. How is the stomach set in a well-ordered body? How is the gut engaged in obstructing the stomach in its movement? How does the stomach then obstruct the midriff in its movement? How does the midriff press the lung? etc. The stopped-up bile cause of the constipation. The bile poured abundantly into the gut, the cause of four or five defecations.

Specimens and methods

As often before, Leeuwenhoek studied his own body.

With a view to this, I gave order that warm water should be brought to me, so as to help me vomit by this means. As soon as I drank that warm water, I vomited, and very easily at that. Shortly after I vomited again, most vehemently, so that (as was said to me) the food that was being thrown up came out of my nose and mouth, and I did not anymore know what I was about.

When I came to myself, I observed the thrown-up substance, and I found that this consisted of the food I had eaten the evening before, but also the foregoing noon.

Visitors to his house

He began this letter by noting:

When I had the honour that You and the Gentlemen Professors Boerhaave and Ruysch came to visit me, and took delight in some of my discoveries.

Figures

Figures

No figures accompanied this letter.

Publication history

Related sources, especially Philosophical Transactions, and first editions only of Leeuwenhoek's volumes of letters. For later editions see Related events under Learn more.

Year	Author	Title
1718	Leeuwenhoek, A. van	Send-Brieven
1719	Leeuwenhoek, A. van	Epistolae Physiologicae
1973	Phillips J. R. and F. L. Eldridge	Respiratory myoclonus (Leeuwenhoek's disease)
1975	Lindeboom, G. A.	De Ziekte van Van Leeuwenhoek
2005	Larner, A.	Antony van Leeuwenhoek and the Description of Diaphragmatic Flutter (Respiratory Myoclonus)

Learn more

Period 6 - 1712-1719

Leeuwenhoek's Death

Related people:

Abraham Cornelis van Bleyswyk

Herman Boerhaave

Frederik Ruysch

Related events:

Date	Event
September 1, 1716	Visited by Hermaan Boerhaave, Frederik Ruysch, and Abraham van Bleiswijk

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in the 1600's

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in the 1600's

Wrote Letter XXVII of 1716-09-17 (AB 326) to Abraham Cornelis van Bleyswyck

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in the 1600's