Buffon's Natural History, Volume 03 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &c.Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
History
Buffon's Natural History, Volume 03 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &c.
Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
Natural history
The filaments I have spoken of are not always to be perceived in the
seminal liquor of a man. To discover them it must be examined the
moment it is taken from the body, and even then it will sometimes
happen that there is not one to be seen. Sometimes the seminal liquor
presents, especially when it is very thick, only large globules, which
may be even distinguished with a common lens. By inspecting them with
the microscope they appear like young oranges; they are very opaque,
and a single one often fills up the whole table of the microscope.
The first time I saw these globules I thought they were some foreign
matters fallen into the liquor, but having examined different drops
I discovered that the whole was composed of these thick globules. I
selected one of the roundest, and whose size was such that, its centre
being in the middle of the table of the microscope, I could at the
same time observe the whole circumference; at first it was absolutely
opaque; a short time afterwards I perceived a bright luminous ring
to form on its surface, which remained about half an hour, and then
approached by degrees towards the centre, which became clear, and of
different colours, while the remainder of the globule continued opaque.
This light, which brightened in the centre of the globule, resembled
those seen in the great air bubbles. The globule then began to get
a little flat, and acquire a small degree of transparency. Having
examined it more than three hours I perceived no more alteration,
nor any appearance of motion, either internally or externally. I
then imagined, that by mixing this liquor with water, these globules
might be changed; in fact they did change, but they presented only a
transparent and homogeneous liquor, wherein was nothing remarkable. I
suffered the seminal liquor to liquefy of itself, and examined it at
the end of six, twelve, and twenty-four hours, but saw nothing more
than a fluid; without the smallest resemblance of life or motion. I
only relate this observation to shew that there are times when the
common phenomena are not to be seen in the seminal liquor.
At times all the moving bodies appear to have tails, especially in
the semen of a man and a dog; the motion is then the least brisk, and
performed with difficulty. If this liquor is suffered to dry, the tails
or threads are deprived of motion the first; the anterior extremity
continues to vibrate for some time, and then all motion entirely
ceases. These substances may be preserved in this state of dryness for
a long time: if a small drop of water is mixed therewith, their figure
changes, they are reduced into many globules, which sometimes appear to
be in motion, as well by their approximation to each other, as by the
trepidation and twirling round their centres.
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