Wrote Letter L-012 of 1674-07-06 to Henry Oldenburg bout sweat, hair, fat, tears, and improved capillary tubes

Date:

July 6, 1674

Standard reference information

L-number:

L-012

Leeuwenhoek's number:

Collected Letters number:

Collected Letters volume:

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

Leeuwenhoek wrote this letter to Henry Oldenburg about sweat, hair, fat, and tears; improved capillary tubes.

Human and horse sweat. Structure of human and animal hair. The motion of blood in narrow glass-pipes. The structure of fat in cows, sheep and fish. Figures of glass-pipe in the margin.

He mentions that he sent his letter of 1674-06-01 along with glass tubes and specimens via Adriaen Nicolaesz Boogaert (1644-1708), lord of Belois, Delft magistrate, mayor, and manager of the V.O.C., married 25-10-1656 Delft to Anna Briel (1639-1688).

Reception in London

This letter is not mentioned in Birch's History of the Royal Society of London.

Figures

2 ink drawings in the margins of the text.

Figure 5

I have formerly sent you my way of seeing the motion of the Globuls in the Crystallin liquor of the Blood: Having since contrived a more convenient Glass-pipe for that purpose, I cannot but give you and your Curious Friends notice thereof;

A B is a hollow Glass-pipe from B to O, about the thickness of a coarse horse-hair; from O to D, about the thickness of a Pigeons-quil, and the thickness from D to A somewhat slenderer. 'Tis open on both its ends, A and B: Into this pipe I brought some Blood.

Figure 6

A and B are two Globuls of Fat, that are formed first, and the third being a forming, and to be placed between and above A and B, it will take the form of C, and so make up the triangular body F D E. ...

I have lately observ'd, that each buble or globul of Fat consists of more than a thousand small Globuls. Yet I am apt to believe, that those that have not seen the Globuls in Blood, Hair, Bone, &c. will not satisfie themselves about seeing the Globuls in the Globuls of Fat, because of their extraordinary minuteness.

Publication history

Related sources, especially Philosophical Transactions, and first editions only of Leeuwenhoek's volumes of letters. For later editions see Related events under Learn more.

Year	Author	Title
1665	various	Journal des Sçavans
1665	various	Philosophical Transactions
1674	Leeuwenhoek, A. van	Other Observations made by Mr. Leeuwenhoeck, about Sweat, Fatt, Teares; imparted to the Publisher in a Letter of July the 6th 1674.
1679	Vasseur, L. le (ed.)	Recueil d'experiences et observations
1754 - 1787	Berryat, J. (ed.)	Collection académique
1775	Someren, H. van	Genees- en heelkundige proeven en aanmerkingen
1779 - 1780	Leske, N. G.	Abhandlungen zur Naturgeschichte, Physik und Oekonomie
1939	Leeuwenhoek, A. van	Alle de Brieven. The Collected Letters. Volume 1

Notes

Excerpts from this letter and from the previous letter, number 8, of June 1, 1674, were published together in Philosophical Transactions number 106 of 21 September 1674 O.S. This one is on pages 128-131.

The Philosophical Transactions version translated back into Dutch by van Someren, 1775.

Learn more

1674: Perhaps will to many seem incredible

Period 1 - 1673-1679

How did Leeuwenhoek send and receive letters?

Related people:

Henry Oldenburg

Related events:

Date	Event
May 4, 1674	Henry Oldenburg wrote Letter L-010 to Leeuwenhoek requesting that he examine saliva, chyle, and sweat
August 30, 1674	Henry Oldenburg wrote Letter L-013 to Leeuwenhoek, encouraging him to send more observations

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Wrote Letter L-012 of 1674-07-06 to Henry Oldenburg bout sweat, hair, fat, tears, and improved capillary tubes

Life in Holland

in the 1600's