| Reference number | EL/L1/75 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter, from Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to the Royal Society, dated at Delft |
| Creator | Leeuwenhoek; Antoni van (1632-1723); tradesman and microscopist |
| Date | 30 March 1685 |
| Description | Signed letter
Duration of the life of spermotozoa 'in vitro'; dissecting the uterus of a bitch, killed after copulation, to investigate reproduction; stating that spermatozoa are the life-carriers and believes that there are male and female ones; observations of embryos in sheep; observations of ovaries in young animals; discussion of the embryo in the seed of an apple (expanded in EL/L1/76)
Original figures now no longer exist with letter
Transcribed and translated in 'Alle de brieven van Antoni van Leeuwenhoek', edited, illustrated and annotated by Committee of Dutch Scientists, vol 5, p 139
English extract printed in 'Philosophical Transactions', vol 15, no 174, p 1120 |
| Language | Dutch |
| Extent | 25p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| Place origin | Delft, South Holland, (United Provinces) Netherlands |
| Origin coordinates | 52.00667, 4.35556 |
| Access status | Open |
| Related material | DOI: 10.1098/rstl.1685.0057 |
| Related records in the catalogue | EL/L1/76 |
| URL description | Also available on Early Modern Letters Online |
| URL | http://emlo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/profile/work/d333038d-e3e9-4921-b785-e2441cae990c |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | Name | Dates |
| NA8438 | van Leeuwenhoek; Antoni (1632 - 1723); tradesman and microscopist | 1632 - 1723 |