Eyerstok

Author: 
Leeuwenhoek, A. van
Publisher: 
Leiden: van Gaesbeeck
Year: 
1684

Full title:

Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigbare geschapene waarheden, waar in gehandeld werd

vande Eyerstok ende derselver ingebeelde Eyeren, dat een Mensch uit een Dierken voort komt, vande samen stremminge, Saden in een Boom, hoe een Dierken in 't Saad van een Haan, Cabbeljaau ? 't Vlees uyt de Borst en Poten van een Vloy, Testicul, Respiratie, en Wormkens uyt de Eyeren vande Vloy, Vlees uyt de Poten van Vliegen, Sal-volatile Oliosum met Bloed vermengt, geen gistinge in 't Bloed ende de makinge van het selfde.

Geschreven aande Wyt-beroemde Koninklyke Societeit in Engeland.

Experiences and Considerations of the truth of invisible creation, wherein is treated

the Ovary and the same Ovary pictured, that a man(?) issues from an Animal, of coagulation, Seeds in a Tree, how an Animal in the Seed of a Cock, Cod ? the Flesh from the Breast and Legs of a Flea, Testicle, Respiration, and little Worms from the Ovary of the Flea, Flesh from the Legs of Flies, Sal-volatile Oil mixed with Blood, no fermentation in the Blood and the making of the same.

Dobell #2: Letters 37, 39

This self-published pamphlet printed by Daniel van Gaesbeeck in Leiden contained Letter 37 of January 22, 1683 (L-122) to Christopher Wren and Letter 39 of September 17, 1683 (AB/CL 76) to Francis Aston.

Letter 37 examines a lamb's ovaries and the other things noted in the title, with seven figures.

Letter 39 describes living organisms in saliva and tartar, sebaceous glands, skin scales and sweat pores, which are not noted in the title.

The two letters are unnumbered and separately paginated: 1-21 and 1-19. While Dobell's copy had these two letters, no such edition is in the STCN.

The STCN has a variant of the same title with only Letter 37, paginated 1 - 21 (title page at top of left sidebar; click to enlarge). This edition with only Letter 37 has the same title. It is not noted in either Dobell's or Schierbeek's bibliographies. The STCN says that the Koninklijke Bibliotheek has two, as does the Universitaire Bibliotheek Leiden. Bert Degenaar has one, as does the Universiteit Utrecht, which has made a full scan available online. Because the long title does not mention any of the contents of Letter 39, perhaps this variant was the first binding and Dobell's was a variant bundle.

Dobell #2a: Letter 37

Dobell listed another edition of Letter 37: Antony van Leeuwenhoeks 37ste Missive, Geschreven aan de Heer Cristopher Wren. His copy was published in Leiden in 1696 without preliminary leaves, so he didn't list a publisher but he did assign a year. Alle de Brieven / Collected Letters noted that it was without date or year. The printer could not have been van Gaesbeeck, who died in 1693.

This edition was paginated 1-20, not 1-21 and Dobell noted "with different make-up", so it must have been re-typeset, which also suggests a different printer. STCN notes that Universitaire Bibliotheek Leiden has a copy.

Figures

In all of these editions, the figures were engraved in the text.

1683-01-22    37    Christopher Wren    7 figures
1683-09-17    39    Francis Aston        10 figures