The leg of a louse
Date
26 March 1675
Creator
Unknown, Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Manuscript page number
p7
Material
Dimensions
height (page): 154mm
width (page): 150mm
width (page): 150mm
Subject
Description
In a letter by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to Henry Oldenburg
Figure 1 is the outline of the claw of a louse, GD being the part with which it would hold a hair. The observations where made with a microscope.
Figure 2 is the entire leg of the louse drawn 'after life', or 'life size' ('na het leven afgeteijckent').
Figure 1 is the outline of the claw of a louse, GD being the part with which it would hold a hair. The observations where made with a microscope.
Figure 2 is the entire leg of the louse drawn 'after life', or 'life size' ('na het leven afgeteijckent').
Transcription
fig: 1. A B C D E F. is de ommetreck, van een gedeelte vande been van een Luijs, B C. is de claeuw, die de Luijs toe sluijt om een haer daer mede vast te houden, E D is de duijm om jnsgelijcx een haer daer mede vast te houden, D. is een claeuwtge dat seer recht uijt staet geplaest op het eijnde vanden duijm, G G G G. sijn de haaren op het been vande Luijs; doch de microscope, die dus vergrooten, sijn bij mij weijnich off niet in gebruijck, om daer mede te observeren fig: 2. is de gantsche been vande Luijs, na het leven afgeteijckent, B C. desselfs wel geschapene klaeuw, D. een knobbeltge ofte verhevene uijt steecksel, tusschen welcke verhevene uijtsteecksel, tsij klaeuw, ofte duijm, de Luijs de alderkleijnste veseltgens off haertgens, kan beslaen, ende vast houden.
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
Object history
In the University Library of Leipzig (Nachlass 135), two leaves of drawings are kept, which fairly correspond with two out of the three leaves that go with this letter, representing the section of a vein of an oak-leaf and two oak-leaves. The Leipzig copy is approximately the reflection of the London drawing. The lettering is slightly different. Judging by the handwriting, the inscription is by Constantijn Huygens. The drawing of the transverse section of a vein of an oak-leaf, kept in London and in Leipzig, as well as the figure of the leg of a louse are in pencil. The figures of oak-leaves are ink-impressions. (Alle de brieven van Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, ed. by a committee of Dutch scientists, 17 vols [ongoing] (Amsterdam: Swets & Zeitlinger, 1939- ), I, 276-95 (letter 17).)
Related fellows
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632 - 1723, Dutch) , Naturalist
Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
Associated place