Wrote Letter L-018 of 1674-12-04 to Henry Oldenburg about optic nerves and sight; enclosed specimen of cow's optic nerve

Date: 
December 4, 1674
Standard reference information
L-number: 
L-018
Leeuwenhoek's number: 
8
Collected Letters number: 
13
Collected Letters volume: 
1

Text of the letter in the original Dutch and in English translation from Alle de Brieven. The Collected Letters at the DBNL - De Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren

The original manuscript on five folio pages, written and signed by Leeuwenhoek, is preserved at the Royal Society (MS. 1837. Early Letters L1.9).

An excerpt was published in Philosophical Transactions, vol. 10, no. 117, dated 26 September 1675. See Publication history below.

Leeuwenhoek wrote this letter to Henry Oldenburg about:

Colour of the iris of the eye. Anatomy of the optic nerve. Explanation of the conduction of the sensations of sight. Method of examining the cerebral substance. Comments about English criticisms of his observations of the brain. A full-page figure of the transverse section of an optic nerve of a cow was attached to the letter. A specimen of the optic nerve was attached to the letter in an original packet.