Wrote Letter L-088 of 1679-06-13 to Lambert van Velthuysen about the origin of life and the lack of appreciation by physicians and surgeons
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 signed autograph on three quarto pages is in the Leiden University library (Cod. 1730. B.P.L. 885).
Leeuwenhoek wrote this letter about the origin of life to Lambert van Velthuysen, a supporter from Utrecht. It was not published during Leeuwenhoek's lifetime. It was one of a dozen letters that P. Haaxman contributed to the 1875 exhibition. Harting summarized this letter in the exhibition's Gedenkboek.
It was written probably in answer to a question by Lambert van Velthuysen, Leeuwenhoek discusses the origin of life. He complains of lack of appreciation on the side of physicians and surgeons.