steno 1667

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A C(rcharolon'11 aad Dissetttd

bu s necdunrdecisa is cst, sintneCanis Carchariaedentcs.

les. Scil icct rnimalium partibus simil ia corpora, qvae ex

n istis n locis oli ln dcgentiumspolia essc, oluerunt'onon-

Lconcursu bidem producta crcdunt Nondum ea mihi re -

nr hi c judiciunr tl tctponeretr;et l icct nrcarlteperegrioatio

.r deduxerit.non ausim tanlen spondetc,qvae in rel jqvo

, hactcnu .obser \u t i s i r r r i l i l u lu ra esse:prucc ipuc u tn

: Ccleberrirrrus raeceptor ncusBartholinus n suo itinerc

itaqvc n ioro qvidam rr' i . al ius actorispartessuscipit.uter'

lbmittcns; si c ego, cx hactcnusobservatis, Jla argunenta

pora animalibusadscribuntur. orsitanalio temporecontra-

r1rcrsiturus.emper erunt udicium a ntcl ioradoctisexspec-

rnr.qvaeanimaliumpartibussimil ia e terriseruuntur.dcqverscntemdigressioncmnstituo, ut de re incerta.qvac pro-

et ipsahabendavclim. Nc vcro nlulta sibi ntrvaprontittcns

e sua frustratumse conqvc'ratur! raemonitunr l lunt volo,

ab ali is proposita uissc;multa Praeceptorummeorum ob-

rcissima bi futura. qvorum ipsc oculatus estisnon fuerinr.

Historia.

lium animantiunlpartibussimil iacorporacruuntur.qvibus-

t tophus,et alteriusgenerisapides; n ali ismoll ior. ut rrgi l-

l l i c ' r . t dur i r r r c reub iqrceo l l )p lc t les l .e1 rc \s io l ) in inus

i, eandem terram compositam cssc ex stratis sibi l l lutuo

nr obliqvis.

' idi eademstratacolore intcr sc discrePantia ari is n locis

nes unius coloris materia plenasad iPSastrata qvasi per-

: mihi videre hactenus contigit, rari i gcncris corpora in

tum molliori delituere.

A Carcharodon-Headissected 95

The controversy o be dccided n regard to the larger tongucstoness whether

they ar e he teethof CanisCarchirriae r stones roducedby the earth.6! o be sure,

somewould have t thai bodies dug from thc earth bearinga rescmblanceo parts

of animals arc the remains o[ animals that were formerly in those places and are

no w decayed:othcrsbelieve hcm to havebecn produced n the sameplaceswith-

out aDiDlls being nvolved. do not yc t have the knowiedgcof this Dratter o passjudgmenton it hcre; an d though nry travelstlblve taken me through various pla-

ce sof this kind, nevertheless, do no t dare to guarantee ha t what I shall observe

in the rest of my journeywil l be similar to what I haveobserved p t o now: chiefly,

sincc I have not ye t seenwhat my very fanlous tcncherBanholin observcd n his

journey o Malta.TtThus us t as n lega l affairs,one akes he patt of the plaintitf and

th c othcr submitshinrself o the dccisionof the Judge, o I produce, rom what has

been observed n the past, he proofs of thosewho reckon hosebodies o be of ani-

rnal orisin. settingdown perhapsat another ime tl te reasons or contrary opinions.

and ooking a)ways or a true udgenrentro m more earnednren.

Therefore, begin o set down, methodically, he presentdigression n thc origin

of bodies. esemblingparts of animals, hat are dug from th e earth. and regarding

the earth tself,with the desirc hat things pronounceas unccrtain wil l be held to

bc indeed uncertain. But lest lhe rerder be led to cxpect nany ncw ideas and

becauseof this expecti l tioncomplain that he h.rs been deceivcd, wish to warn

him beforehand that some of the propositions have been made already by others;

that many ar e owcd to th e observationof my teachers: here wil l be vcry few to

rvhich havcno t been an cvewitness.

Historia.l . The soil from wbich bodies esemblingparts of aquaticanimalsare du g is in

certainplaces ather hard, l ike tufa and other kinds of stone; n other places t is

rathersoft ike clay or slnd.

2. Thc said soil, *'hether rather soft or rather hard, is almosteveryrvhere om-

pacted,and s resistant 0not too violentpressure.

3. In variousplaces. have seen ha t the said soil is composedof layerssupcr-

inposed on cach othcr at an angle to the horizon.

4. I have observed D clayeysoil, that these aycrs, which differ in colour fronr

each other, are split apart in severalplaces,and tbat all the fissures which are fillcd

with material of one colour are almost perpcndicular to the layers themselves.

5. In thosesoils hat I havebeen able o observeup to now. bodiesof ditterent

kinds have been concealed n the same soil, sontetinresn the harder, and some-

times the sDftersort,

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A Carc har od on-H.ut! D i.\ e cd

)rporum illorum numerunl in terrae superficie admodunr

terramsatrs arum csse.

vidi, qvo profundius n terram descenditur, o magis enera

mo qvaedam llorum ad evissimum vemlibetcontactum n

n superticiecrant, et ipsa iere omnia sine magno negotio

redigebantur.

Itia nlagiscorpora l la deprchcndi,et pe r totum saxumejus-

coqvc modo ipsi saxo infixa. ac si calce vel gypso uissent

qvati l ium animantiuur partibus similia, sive duriori, sive

rn modo sibi invicem, sedetiam animaliumpartibus,qvibus

lnt; ncc ulla est in slriarum ductu, in lanellarum textura,

ctibusqye,n bivalviunrconrnrissurist cardinibus ifferentia.

vel solidiorasunt,saxi nstar,ve l minussolida,qvaenon dif-

icuntur.

rcis ostreorun testncplurimae difformes reperiuntur,et in

e; cruuntur interdum etiam pectineset conchacdiftractae;

ossopetrae lurcseidernqvasimatrici adhaerentes,vac nec

rdinis erant,nec omncs ntcgrae.?3

ri qvandamspeciemsibi poll icenturseqventes onjecturae.

Conjectura .

nt partibussimilia corpora eruuntur, corpora lla hodie non

l spectat,cu m (a ) co nroll iora sint corpora i l la. minusqve

rofundius atent; antum abest,producatea terla, ui potiusT4

:, qvod qvis credat, deo moll iora ea esse, vi a necdum per-

mollia sunt, dum generantur, qvodam qvasi glutine unitas

t, ut videre est in recentibus pinearum et amygdalorum cor-

omni glutine privata in pulverem dilabuntur, adeoqve mol-

non productionis argunentum videtur,TsNec obstat, qvod

numerus€orum augerivideatur; d enim pluviisdebetur n-

ntibus: qvin ipsa eorum in superficie existentium substantia.

A Carcharc.lo HeadDissected 97

6. I have observed hat the number of thesebodies n clay is quite large in th e

surfacebut quitc small in the soil itself.

7. In the sameclay, I have observed hat the deeperone goes nto thc soil. the

more fragile are the said bodics; ndccd, solncof them crumble nt o powder at the

slightcst ouch;almost all of thosc hat were n tlre surfacccould be reduced o rvhit-

ishpowder vithoutmuch effort.8. ln rocky ground, obscrvcdboth that lhesebodiesare much rnore abundant

and that they havc the same consistency li t hrough the rock. and also that thcy

wcreattachcd o the rock as f they rvcreembcddcd n limc or gypsum.

9. Whether hcy are dug out of harder or softer soil, bodies esembling i l ferent

parts of aquatic animals are not only very like each other but are also very like

the animal parts to which they correspond; there is no difference of any kind in

the coursc of the ridges, in the texture of the lamellae, in the curvaturc and wind-

ings of the cavities, and in the joints and hinuesof bivalves.

10 . The said bodies may be eithcr rather hard like stonc or lesshard so that

they may be reduced o powderwithout diff iculty.

I l. Very ntany oystershcllsarc found in sonte egions.deformed and hardenedinto one lun:pl sometimesalso, broken scallopsand musselsare dug up; some

peoplehave seen, n the sameplace,many ton,que tonesclinging as t were to tl te

siurc nratrix; hcsewcrc not al l of the samesize nor wcre thcy all complete-

The following conjectures, based on the observations presented offer some

slimDseof the truth.

Conjecture .

Soil from rvhichbodies esembling arts of aninralsare dug docs not seem o pro-

duce hesebodies o da)'.

In th e case of soft soil , there is l i ttle l ikelihood that the soit produces thesc

bodies, but rather that it destroys them. since the deeper they are buried, the softer

these bocliesare (a) and the less they can withstand a touch. Nor should anyone

believe that their geater softnessarise from the fact that they are not yet fully de-

veloped; things that are soft while they are being formed keep their parts together

with some glue-like material (as may be observed in the fresh bark of young pine

or almonds). but these bodies are lacking in every kind of gluelike material and

disintegrate into dust, so that their softnessseems o proof of decay, not gf,owth.It is no argumcnt against this that their nunrbers seem o increaseon the surface of

the soil, (b) for this is due to the rain that washes away the soil between them,(b)

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.4 Carcharodon'H ratl Dissectcd

I pulverem tcritur, demonstrat, '; coeptam il lorunl in tcrra

Itcrventu uisse nterruptam.

rodienon producantur, nde conjicitur,?s vod (d ) toto saxi

ntiae omnia reperiantur,et qvod undiqvc dura i l la nratcria

im hodieqvaedanr e novo in ista duriori terra produceren-Itia crescentibusedereposse, t ipsacorpora hodie produc-

in qvo a productisolim corporibusdifferrent.

i tcrra nulla de novo produci videantursocorpora; cum ter-

)ra nlultis in locis verosimil i tersldestruat:non sine ratione

rn. undc animalium partibus sjmil ia corpora eruuntur. cor-

lucere.

Conjectura .

r fuisse ompacta. um praedictacorpora bi productasunt.

e crescendo ente se expandunt, mpositadura elevare. mo

; qvod arborum radices n terra dura, in muris, in rupibus

dum eademcorpora congruens ibi spatium efformant. non

)bstaculi enitentiasaepiusmpediri; qvod eisdemplantarum

I terra duriori mil le modis ntortaeet compressae figura re -

rol l iori al ias conservare olcnt.At vero corpora l la. de qvi-

sjmil ia omnia sunt, sive e tefia n)oll iori eruta. sivc e saxo

lus evulsa ntueamur: cu m itaqvc i l l is in locis, ubi reperi-

hodie non videantur produci; cunr qvae n locis compactisr reperiantur,hacc vero corpora ubiqvesibi simil ia sint, non

terra, cum praedicta corpora ibi producta sunt.

Conjectura .

r minus eandem terram aqvis olim tectam fuisse credamus.

rtjgissepoterit, pro ut eandem terram statuamus,vel eodem

n. ve l situm aliqvandomutasse.

rt, ex sacra pagina discimus,et creationis nitio. et di luvi iobsita fuisse; qvod eleganter hisce exprimit Tertullianus:

aliqvando aqvis omnibus obsitus: adhuc maris conchae et

in montibus, clpienles Platoni probare, etiam ardua fluitas-

,1 C drcharcdon-H ead D issected

On the contrary. when the substance f thosc(c ) that are on thc surface s rubbed

to dust without much cffort, this rather provcs that their decay'. egun n the soil,

has been nterrupted by the intervention of rain.

One may conclude hat they are not produccd n our timc in hard ground from

the fact (d) that they arc found all through rock with the same consistcncy, and

that thcy arc surroundedon all sjdesby tbe hard materjal. or if any such bodies

were producedanew oday in these atherhard soils, he surroundings ught to give

way to them during their growth, and the bodies themselvcswould no doubt show

differences rom those produced long ago.

Thus, sincc no bodies seem to be produced anew in harder soil, and since in

nany regions softer soil probably destroys these bodies, we may suspectnot without

reason, ba t soil lronr which bodiesresemblingparts of animals are dug does no t

Droduce hesebodies odav.

Conjecture .

The said soil does not seem to have been firm when the bodies referred to wereproduced n it.

Bodies hat expandby slow growth can certainly aiseheavy objects estingupon

them and may widen fissures n rocks; this is proved by tree roots in hard ground.

in walls, and in cliffs. Ncvertheless,while these bodies make a suitable space for

themselvcs,frequently they cannot avoid being hampered by the resistance of the

harder obstaclc, which is exactly what happens to young tree roots that become

twisted and compressed in countless ways in harder glound, so that they assume

shapcsdifferenl from roots found in softer ground. But the bodies that we are

dealing vith here are in fact alwaysof the sameshape a) , whether hey are dug up

fron softer ground, hewn from rocks, or taken out of animals;63 t would seem hen

that since hesebodiesdo no t appear o be produced oday (b ) in th e placcswherethey are found, and since things that grow in from soil are found to be strangely de-

formed. but drese arc everyrvherealike, the soil rvould not have been firm when the

bodics eferred o wereproduced n it.

Conjecture .

Nor can there be strong opposition to the belief that the said soil was once covered

with watcr.

This may have occurcd n t\yo ways. according o whether we assume hat thispieceof ground alu,ayshad the sanresituation.or that i t has changed ts situation

some ime.

Regarding the first assumption,we learn from Holy Scripture that all things, both

at the beginning of creation, and at the time of the Flood, were covered with water.

Tertullian writes3s elegantly about tlis: "A change occured in tie whole world

99

tb )

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A Carcharotlon Head Disscct?d

contrariac scntcntiaepatronisaffcruntur argumenta,du m

:is corpora n omnibus ocis reperiri . si aqvis oca omnia te -

entur; aut salten, ubi reperiuntur ca corpora, non in solis

.rda.Facile cnin utriqve objectioni rcspondctur:cunl non

;e t si videnluspluviarum vi abrasisqvasi strignlentismon-Dontibussubjecta. vid rnirum, in editis nuda apparere l la

s atentnovis errisobruta?

it, in locis, undc dicta corpora eruuntur, mutassealiqvando

s. ncc i l le vel rationi, vel expcrientiae ontrarium qvid ad -

;tratorunr issuras a) uniuscoloris materiaplenas ntuemur

'ata diversicoloris sunt; vero adnrodum similc videtur, in-

ndenl terram. cum rclaberetur,diffractanl fuisse.adeoqvc

Qvantas n terra mutationes errae motus sacpiusprodu-

ronstrtrc facile esset, isi uniusTaciti authoritas utf iceret:celebrcsAsiac urbcs collapsae octurno motu terrae,qvo

,cstjs uit. Neqve solitum n tal i casu effugiumsubveniebat,

lvia diductis erris hauriebantur.Sedissemmcnsosmontes,

ra fuerint, effulsisse nter ruinam ignes, memorant". Cum

rqies.ct al iorum locorunr exempla svadeant, uissc crram

;un (b ) vidcatur cadcnr erra olim minus fuisseconpacta,

noll i tiem i l lam ab aqvis dcducanus, adeoqve,antcqvam

is i l lam tcctam uissecredamus; ive aqvae llae ibero a€ri'raecrusta uerint obductac?

Conjectura .

Cetur.38 vo rninus credamus,eandem erram aqvae olim

rne insinuavimus,30potuisse eam terram aqvis olim fuisse

,ergemus0o d probandum, potuisse eandem terram aqvis

A Carcharcdon-Heallissccted l0l

when it was coveredwith al l thc waters; evennow, sea shellsof nussel and whelk

rangeover the mountainsseeking o prove to PlatoNrtthathe very pcaks have been

under water". No weight should be attached o the arguments et out by peopleof

th c oppositeopinion when hey say hat bodiesof this kind ought o be found evcry-

where if they owe their cxistcncc o th c wirtcrscoveringal l places,or at least. ha t

suchbodieswhen found. should not be found only in high places.Fo r an easyan -

swer nrry be given to both objections:since not al l kinds of water carry every-

thin-q.and what is strangcabout thc fact that thesebodies which are conccalcd n

lowlands,covcredby fresh soil. appearuncovered n high places,when we observe

flat zones at the foot of nrountainsbeing fi l led with, as it were, the scouringsot

nlountains crapedaway by the violenceof rainfal l?

And if anyonc shouldbelieve hat portionsof soil in places rom which the said

bodieshavebeendug havechangcd heir situationat some ime, he cannotbe held to

think anything hat is contrary to re.rsonor experience. ndeed. when we consider

the f issurcs n the layers hat are fi l led with material of onc colour (a), whcrcas he

hyers themselves rc of varicd hucs. t seents ndeedquite l ikely that this pieceof

ground. shaken violently by a gigantic [loven]ent, brokc on fal l ing back, and so

rcached ts new situation. t rvould bc casy. o show how great are the changes n

soil caused requcntly by earth movement, rom various examples, f the evidence

of TacitusHT lone were not suff icient: "During thc samc ycar. twclvc towns in

Asia Minor were laid wastc by an earthquake n the night, whereby the catas-

trophe becamccvcn more unforeseenand calanitous. And thc usual rcsourceon

suchoccasions to take refugc in thc opcn places was of no use, sincepeople

were swallowedup jn th e yawning carth. Hugc mountains arc said to havc been

Ievellcd o th e ground; the f lat ground is said to haye risen nto steepmountains,

and ire broke out anrong he ruins".

Thus.since

boththe configurationof thc

grounditself and exanples from otherplaccs ndicate hat this soil once ha d another situation,sincc t seems b) that th e

said soil was once ess irm. what is to prevcnt us from ascribing his softness o

th e watcn, and what is more, o believe hat the soil, before t changed ts site, was

covcred with waters, whether the watcrs wcre exposed o the open alr or were

coveredby the earth'scrust?

Cdnjecture4.

Thcre seenrs lso o be no objection o t he belicf that the said soilwas at some ime

in the pastmixed with water.

We suggested n the preceding proposition that this soil might at one time have

been covered with waters; now, we go a stage further, to prove that the said soil

mav have been mixed with waters.

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.4 C archa tod o tt-H ead D issec ed

uln aqvaevchementius gitatae nlnl isceantur, raeceps or -

terrasprolapsus,et aqvarum a vcntis agitationotius reddi-

us cxponi mereatut.Nec probatu diff ici le est. n aqvis stag-

ssimisaqvis,sabulum,argil lam. et tophos."'olnnisqvegene-

tere.

/a delitescunt ol ida.durn vel pulvereseorunl.e:vc l corun't

aqvaemiscctur,qvod omnis generis alia et vitriola docent,

re ungitur: sic mineraliaope acidorum, ixiviosorum salium

as resolvuntur,ubi oleo sal, acidum aqvac gravitatemdat,

leum, ct mincrale n candemaqvanlpossitelevari.

renta duobusnrodis n aqva atere;ve l enim ipsa solidi ele-

x parte bi rcperiuntur,vel sui generis orpora bi sunt,qvae

renlia in solidum transformantur.Hac ratione credunt ple-: lenrentaminerarum n se continere.et ex hoc fuldamento

illa metallorumsolutio,qva mercurium et sulphurex singu-

r laborant.

Lnt.qvibusaqvarum specie ol idapossuntapparerc,nec so-

d invenienda oca. undesrhaec solida aqvis terras nostras

nmunlcata.

da et fluida terrae gremium recondit. nec poterint per oc-

abentes ucci,vel oberrantes n i isdem ocis halitus ntacta

solida offenderint,qvibus dissolvendis Natura destinati

ie t adri expositas, t terrae crusta obtectasomni momento

succi ntra terram dissolutasolida pe r aqvaesubstantiam

rcm ab aqva, erra, plantis et animalibuscxpulsaonrnisge -

rter ibi se conrbinata luyiarum specie, el al io sensus os-

m aqv is communicari poterint.Qvid qvod vari i generisani-

re, dullr vivunt, corporis sui etf luvia bi deponant.et a mor-

: lvantur.

:nerissolida aqvis immisceri poterint; cu m manifesta oca

aqvispotuerintcssccommunicata:qvid miramur, argil lae,

Lmqve apidum vel pulvisculos,vel elementa aqvis iisdem

est, qvod qvisqvam credat, nostro sensuacidos essedebuis-

)ra dissolventes,adeoqveaninalibus nutriendis fuisse inep-

A Carcharodon-HeadDissected 103

That clay and sand are mixed with strongly agitated water is so obvious from the

headlong course of torrents through such soils, and lrom the agitation of waters by

the wind, that no further explanation is needed. Nor is it difficult to prove that

sand, clay, tufa, and all sorts of solid bodies may be concealed in stagnant water,

even the most linpid water.

Solid bodies may be concealed in water in two ways: they may be concealed as

powder, or their elements may be concealed in it. Solid powder may mix with

watcr by itself, as all kinds of salts and vitriols illustrate, or it may unite with the

water through the interventionof a third substance:hus minerals are dissolved n

waters under the action of acids, oily substancesby thc aid of alkaline salts,where-

by the salt gives to the oil and the acid to water the heaviness by which the oil is

presseddown jnto the water and the minerals are lifted upwards into the same wa-

ter.

The elements of a solid body may also be concealed in water in two ways: for

either the solid elements hemselves, n total or in part, are found therein, or partic-

ular substancesare present in the water that assume a different form from it andare transformed into solid. For tlis reason, most people believe that mineral waters

contain the elements of the minerals, and from this principle is derived the source

of that radical solvent of metals, with which people work anxiously to cxtract mer-

cury and sulphur from single metals.03

These then are the ways in which solids can appear under the appearance of wa-

ter, and no great effort is required to find the placesfrom which these solids joined

the waters covering our lands.

The bosom of the earth conceals solids and fluids of all kinds: neither the juices

that flow through the secret coursesof the earth nor the exhalations that meander

through these places can leave intact solids that Nature destined them to dissolve,

if they come into contact somewhere else. Moreover, juices flowing all the time

from the veins of the earth into the waters, both those exposed to the atmosphere

and those covered by the crust of the earth, spread the solids dissolved below ground

through the substance of the water. But again, all kinds of bodies that are given off

into the atmospherc from water, earth, plants and animals, and there combined in

a wonderful way, will be able to reach the said waters in the form of rain or in some

other way that eludes our senses.So, for example, animals of various kinds, indige-

nous to water, during their lives deposit the excretions of their bodies into water,

and, when they die, are, as t were, totally dissolved n the waters.

Thus, since solids of all kinds may be mixed with the waters; since the places

from which these solids could have joined the waters are obvious, why should we

be astonished that either powders or the elements of clay, sand, tufa, and other

stonesshould be mixed. unseen,with the same water? Nor need anyone believe that

the juices which dissolve these hard bodies ought to be acid to the taste, and tlere-

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A (: u c ha rod on- H ead D k st( | e.l

PraeccptorcmBorrichium, durissimum calculum insipida

:m: ct qvidni id darcmusNaturae, qvod art i dcne-care on

Conjectura .

video."6qvo minus candem terram pro aqvac sedimcnto

us .

nihi l obstare.qv o minus terranr l lanr aqvac fuisse nlmis-

em patet. (b ) esseeanr vari is in locis cx diversorunr crlo-

ncumbentibus ompositam: mo il l is in locis, ub i ejusdcm

rtorunrdiversitatcnr ihi lominusdignosci. psa itlqve strata

Lum, esseeam tcrram aqvae sedimentum;stratorum vero

tam candem erram svadent.ad minimum, si non in toturr

rriora hac'csvldant."Eostendanl.qvibus nrodis dr'nr sc'di-

lgestulrr.

e qva aginrus, otuisse urbidasaqvasvel a mari. vel a tor-

r est, dcbuiss(] orpora aqvanr urbidanrrcddentia,cessante

petere.Ne c opus est n eam rem excmpla studiose onqvi-

.lvei,ct ostiacjus rei f idem certam aciant. Unicunt hic no-

lvanr urbidanr cddentia,non esseomnia cjusdenrgravila-

d qvietcm rcdcunteaqva. raviora primo, inde minus gra-

autem in fundi vicinia diutius fluitent, anteqvanr undo se

rm n sedimcnto aepius iversa trata ieri.

ndem aqYam impidam solidacorpora continuissc b aere,

lommunicata,nec n hoc casudiff ici le est modos varios n-

s aqviscontenta bi solidapotuerintesse ecreta; raecipuos

.m.

itans subti l ior materia non sempereodem mpetu fluidum

puscula majori ipsius motu cum fluidi particulis aeqvaliter

dem vi, a fluidi amplexibus excidunt. Sic sangvis non, nisi

Iuit, totus rubet; supervenienterigore in partes colore ct:dit, Si curina clara saepius ransparentianr um caloreantit-

cum igni imponitur. Pari ratione poterint ex lerra affluentes

em t€rra spiriintes calidi halitus aqvae immixti adductos

,4 C arc Mrodon- II ead D ilsec I cd

fore unablc to sustainanimals'l i fe. I have seenmy most amiablc teacherBorcho5

dissolvea vcry hard pebble in ordinary water; wby then should we not grant to

Nature what we cannot dcny t0 art?

Conjecture .

I cannot see anything to prevent us from regarding he said soil as a sedinent

gradualJ l ccumul r tcdronrwater .

We have us t seen (a ) that there js no obstaclc1() he belief that rhis soil was

mixed with water; moreovcr, it is clearly obvious (b ) that in various places t is

composcdof layersof differentcolours supcriniposed n eaclrothcri in addition, n

thosc placeswhere all the soil is o[ the samc colour, i t is nevcrthelcss ossible o

distinguish he differencebetween ayers. Thus, the laycrs themselvescad us to

believe that the soil is a sediment from water, and indeed, the difference between

laycrs at least indicates hat the said soil was depositedgradually, f i t does not

prove t conlpletely.

I shall now make clcar lbc ways in which sediments ould have beendeposited,

so that thesenatters nlay in fact be more readily understood.

If rve believe hat the watcr under discussion ould receivemuddy rvater,either

from the occan or fronr torrcnts. t is certain hat the bodieswhich make the water

muddy ought o sink to the botton whcn th e violentmotion ceases. or do we need

to scek dil igently or examplesof this type, sinceboth t he beds of rivers and their

estuaries iv e sure proof of il . One thing should be noted here. - th e bodies hat

make he water muddy are not all of the sameweigbt; hus t fol lows hat. as hc wa-

te r graduallycalnisdown, first thc heavierparticl€s hen the lcss hear'1' nes ssttle

out; the l ightestparticles,however. loat longer n thc vicinityof the bottonr before

becomingattached o it. l t is clear, n consequence,hat frequentlyditferent ayers

wil l be found in the samesediment.

But if we believe that limpid water has united with solid bodies translerred to it

from the atmosphere, rom soil, and fron animals. t is not diff icult in this case

either to find different ways by which solid bodies contained n the l impid waters

might have been secreted here. shall explain briefly here thc most inrportant of

these-

1. If "subti le matter" agitating he particlesof a f luid0, does not pcnetrate he

fluid with the same orcc at all timcs, he solid particles ha t were moved uniformly

with the fluid particles by its greater lorce will become detached from rhe grasp of

the fluid when the said forcc ccases.Thus, blood. except when it is warm, is not

completely luid or uniiormly red;100oneing cooled, it separates nto parts that

differ in colour and consistency. o, frequentlv,a clear urine loses ts transparency

with its warmth, recovering t when placed on a fire.l0r By the sane reckoning,

warm juices coming out of thg earth, or warm exhalations from the same earth,

1 0 5

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lt Carcharodo IIeddDi.rsected

os ccssante alorcdeponere. ec opus,semper nagnusuc -

malium in istis aqvis degentiumadversus: uffecerit,sub-

advenientialuida agitantcmsolitovelocius ujssenlotam.

.rtes cnsirl exhalarepoterirtt,mutata dissolvcntis d disso-

isoluto solido tantundemsubsidere cbet,qvantum ex dis-I evolavit.Freqventi cxperi! 'ntia d dcnronstratur unl in i l-

lvisculun continent. unr in i l l is, in qvibus solidi elemcn-

do saljum crystall i cx aqvis salsis. ccundomodo tartarus

ralione in omnibus aqvis sedimenta ongeri, reqventibus

ier\.utur,u! ea hic congererctot upervacuum udicem.

ersis ocis. tcnrporevel eoden, vel diverso, diversa luida

e rdDrittcmus. otuisseex uno loco allata luidi specie o-

s praecipitari.Si c acidis dissolutasalium adventu,sic sal-

lorunrpraecipitantur; unr acidaet snlsa acil ius sibi qvam

tsunt ct al i is rnodis acido resolutasolidapraecipitari,ut ln

:tum acido metallum unum alteriusmetall i njectioncprae-

onem spiri tu volati l i l0s xtractae incturaeaffusaaqvasepa-

. sibi affusa n solidum sirnul concrescunt: ic vidi Parisi is

HospjtisThevenoti iChynricismultun versatumBorellum

Los onfundere. ui i l l ico concrescebantdeo,ut eversovi -

leret.Qvidni l iceret taqve suspicari, iverso empore iver-

.drc,ex tcrra diversaenaturaesuccoshalitusvc aqvae m-

l ea corpora praecipitare,modo praecipitata n ca corpora

temqvehominis urina diverso empore collecta, d evidens

) tenacissime dhaercns edimentumsolidum, qvod primis

le seqventibus iebus a nova ejusdemhominis urina resol-

urina de novo cumulandum. Qvod Diaetae diversitasloo n

ff icit, idem Solis et Lunae vicissitudincs, ariaeqvemuta-

noribus porerint producere.N{anifestissiuroxeurplo dem

(iassendus,dum lapidum productionem in philosophia sua

vodlibet f ieri contendunt,aut saltem,yari is mutationibus

a esse, admittunt , alio modo rem explicare poterint, satis;te imaginari nobis possumus, subtilem materiam, dum

:it, varias fluidorum partes nova figura s€nsim indutas in

rre. Vidi apud'Borrichium nostrum ex aqva purissima albi-

A C a c harcdon- Il ead D i sse cd

mixed with the watcrs,could deposit he more solid of the f inely divided materials

brought with them, when their warmth ceases. or does this warmth need always

to have been considcrableand unfavourable o anin]al if e dwelling in these wa-

ters; t wil l have bcen suff icient i the "subti le mattcr" agitating luids conring rom

someotlrcr region shouldmove with more than ts customaryspeed.

2. If the more volati le parls of a l luid have been able to evaporateslowly. the

ratio of dissolvednratter to solvent being changed,a quantity of dissolvedsolid

ought o settleout in proportion o th e quaotityof solventgivenoff.

This is illustrated irequently from experience of fluids, both of those that contain

poweredparticlesof solid and those hat conceal he elements f solids. n the first

case,cr)'stals f salt separate ronr salt water; in the second, artar separatesrom

wine.r03 o many examples nray be obscrved daily that sedimentsaccumulate n

an denticalway in al l waters. hat I judge t superfluous o gather hem ogether ere.

3. If we believe that different fluids could flow together, either simultaneously

or at different imes. rom differentplaces,we should admit readjly hat solids may

have bcen precipitated from fluids brought from one place by some kind of fluid

brought ro m elsewherc. hus substances issolved n acidsmay be precipitated y

additionof salts,and substances issolved y the actionof saltsnray be precipitated

by tire addition of acids,sinceacidsand saltsunite more easilywith eachother than

with other solids. t is possiblealso for solidsdissolved n acids o be precipitated

in other rvays, swe scewith metals,whercone metal dissolved n acid may be pre-

cipitatcd b! 'the addition of another netal. Similarly, tincturesextractedwith alco-

holr06 nlay separatc out wh€n water is poured into them. But again. it two

fluids arc poured together, I solid may congcal imnediatly. Thus, in Paris, in the

Acadenryat the houseof my great friend Thdvenot,:o7 have seenBorel,r03 reat-

lv ski l led n chemistry.pour together wo quite clear iquids which immediatelybe -

cameso solid ha t no t evena drop left the glass ontainerwhen it was nverted.Why

then. mav we not suspect hat rain falling from the atmosphere at various times, and

of varying composition. or perhaps juices and vapours of different kinds from the

€arth. u'hcn mixed with th c waters,may sometinles recipitate odies dissolved n

them and at other times dissolvebodies that have been precipitated ro m them?

This is evident in urine collected trom one and the same person at different times,

sincc a solid deposit aid down during rhr: irst days. and adhering most firmly to

the baseqf the container, s very often dissolved, uring subsequent ays by fresh

urine from the sameperson, only to collect afresh,soon after, rom the secondurine.What varieties f diet accomplishn the humoursof the microcosm,so alteration nth e sun and moon and variousother changes ould produce n tie humours of theearth. Gnssendi, th€ "glory of France", supports this assertion with the clearest otexamplesn his learnedwork, in which he explains he origin o[ stones.,ro

4. Those who contend that anything whatsoever may corne from anythingwhatsoever. r. at any rate, adDit that the snlal lest tems n nature are subject o a

varietv of changes, could explain this matter in an other way; it is possible, how-

107

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A Carcha)odo H?al Dissct l?d

u ex salc l ixivioso.11l x adrc salent gni rcsistcntent: d

lrietatevariepoterit explicari.

qvibusex fluido solida, mo ex f luido fluida (u t de i is. qvae

rt u facile cst) separantur:qvibus ontnibus modis si terrac

on sunt,eisdenrmodis congeripotuisse, crtum cst.

m nrodo ex fluido secernantur ol ida. ve l pulveris specie

aecipitata etalla. vel substantiam ohirercntcm cpraesen-

n sangvine. vod f ibrosum cst, n lacte.qvod caseosum st,

luvia scdimentumviscosum;sivc duriorem, ut in vino tar-

stal l i . n vari is fontibus apideacrusta.Hinc patet. cx l int-

concresccrc rustas nter se consistentia ivcrsas. mo vari i

ta'r. ;

veniuntomnia!Qvam unanimi consensuntcr seconspirant!

situnr.aqvis continendisaptum csscpotuisse. ciurusejus-

. ct clcmcntaaqvaepotuisse nrmisceri; on ignoramusmo-

lasdevchi,ct ex i isdenlaqvispotuerintscparari. rro in ipsa

tenr ntuenlur:qvidni poterit i taqve eaden tcrra pro aqvae

ciunt. subtcrraneas ryptas ngrediantur.undc olim cducta

exhaust i l r i l ocuntnrrvunt i l \un lc( )ncru iccrc :nro gnos-

)ta corpora stirias apideas onformare a fornicibus depen-

i cavac.ct ex nultis lamell is anqvanr yl indris compositac,

a fornicibus accipiunt. d qvod lamellarum structura non

Conjectura .

qvo minus animalium partibussinri l ia corpora, qvae e ter-

Jm partibushabeantur.

ral ium partibus simil ia corpora eruuntur, (a ) hodic id ge -

rcat; cum eandem erram (b ) mollem olim, imo (c ) aqvis

i le sit. qvidni l iceretsuspicari d generis orporapr o anima-

rtium spoliis edsehabenda? Sane si illorum in terra situm

10 9

ever, for us to imagine clearly and plainly enough that "subtile natter", as it

moves through water and air, changes he various fluid parts, which gadually take

on a new form. into solid bodies. have secn,at the home of our friend Borch. a

white earth come from th e purcstwatcr, a tasteless arth from alkaline salt,"' and,

from the atmosphere, salt that is unaffectedby f ire:l le these may be explained

in differentways according o various irst principles.Such are the various rvays n which solidsmay be precipitated rom a fluid, nay

more. luid from fluid (a snraycasilybe shown of those luids which form thc atmos-

phere); f the layers n our soil have not been forncd in al l theseways, i t is ccr-

tain that thcy could havebecn ormed n suchways.

But whatcvcr hc cxactway in which solidsare separatedrom fluids, hey appear

cither n the form of powder.as n the caseof metalsprecipitated rom acids,or as

coagulatedmatcrial, whether i t be softer, as in blood where it is f ibrous, n milk

where t is cheesy, n Ma y dew"3 and rain watcr where it is a viscoussedimentor

whethcr t bc harder, ike tartar in wine, crystals n salt watcr, and stony crusts n

varioussprings.rlat is clear from this that crustscould have hardenedou t of the

most transparentwaters, crusts of varying consistency, rammed full indeed with

mineralsof variouskinds.

How well then cverything its together!How unanimously hcy come together n

agreement. We find the position of the soil suited to its having been able to hold

waters; wc know that both powdered soil and the elements of the said soil could

have been mixed with the watcrs; we do not ignore the ways in which thcy could

have both entered and separated rom those waters, nay rather we pay close atten-

tion to thc variety of laycrs in thc soil itself. Why then is it impossible for this soil to

have been a sediment from water?

Let those for whom it is not enough go into underground grottoes from which

stoneswere once quarried, and they will observe new rock forming in place of the

rock that was removed, nay more, they will perceive stone icicles, lormed from

bodies sccreted by atmospheric ftuid, hanging from the vaults: these icicles, hollow

inside and made of many cylindrical lamellae, receive ncither water nor rock from

the vaults, this is not only indicated but also proved by the structure of the lamel-

lac.116

Conjecture .

There seems o be no objection to the opinion that bodies dug from the ground

which resemble parts of animals should be considered to have been parts of ani-

mals.

Since the soil from which bodies resembling parts of animals arc dug does not

produce this kind of body to day (a), since t is likely that the said soil was once soft

(b), nay more looks as if it was in truth mixed with waters (c), why not allow us to

surmise that bodies of this kind are the remains ol animals that ived in thosewaters?

A C at charodon-Head Dissected

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J1 C arc hatud o,r H ead D isscc e d

3ntur eo modo congeripotuisse. is i cu m aqvaescdimento

r.LrrNe c adversaturnobis.qvod tanto numero jn tcrra du -

im attcnteexaminavcrit,qvo modo in terrae cryptis, unde

lovum saxunl concrescit, i f f icultatcm bi nullanr nveniet.

rf icie cremoris nstar concrescens axeacuticula,ub i gra-rm petat, sjvecx tota aqva aeqvaliter ecreta axeacorpus-

on nisi cntc id sedimentum oncrescit; nde non nisi qvac

nt . sivemortua animalia, mortuorum spolia. sive viva, sed

rDentoobruuntur; rel iqva vero aninralia viva,rreet supra

0ntia, nunlerosaprole aqvas eplcnt, afl teqvnm novum ib i

.0 Accedit: 1. Ovod stagnans n istis cryptis aqva semcl

:r conservet. ccusac n fluentibuscontingit. 2. Qvod testa-

a in propria yisceranon sacviunt.qvan ob causan aqvati-

muflt.r!13. Ovod corundem tegminar!! raro consumantur,

:ota in irqvam esolvantur.Hacc omnia argumentalgson -

nrihi videnturad conjecturamnreamstabil iendam, raeser-

;orunr f igura et substantia ihi l faci le in contr2rriunpossit

)m spectat, e qvibus agimus.cum animalium p rtibus, (d )

ondeat,conformationis imil i tudooriginis simil i tudinem n-

redituest,a qvocunqve emum principio alio acta l la dicas.

uisseobservandam. t ecceejus rei evidentjssirrumargu-

ci1,hexaedram rystall i 'ri iguran. marcasitarum ubos,sa -

tionibus crystallos et infinita alia in fluido concrescentia

nulto magis ordinatas.qvam sunt f iuurae pectinum, bival-

qve? Nihilominus videmus n simplicibushisce corporibus

m truncatum.modo plura sibi sineordine adhaerentia or-

et situ nter sedifferentiaplana,aliosqve ariosmodos,qvi-

lunt. Qvanto majorespluresqvenotaDdi essentdcfectus n

:o magiscompositamhabentibus, valia sunt l la, qvae ani-'?

Qvod si qvibusdam in locis ostreorum testaeplurimae in

r (e ) deteguntur.nihi l hi c diversi cst ab i l lo, qvod in ma-

rhantur ingentes massae ostreorun diversae nagnitudinis.in modum haerent agglutinata. Si qvaedam conchae media

riuntur, ipse fragmenti limbus testatur, alteram partem illi

iam ioterdum in prioris vicinia r€peritur. Qvod si glossope-

A C 0 c harodon- H eod D i ss?c. d

Indecd, f i t is agecd to examine heir position n thc soil, t doesno t seem hat thcy

could have collected in this way, unlessthey may be said to have gathered together

gradually with scdinent from the water. Nor is it against our ideas that they are

found in suchnumLrersn harder soil. There is no diff iculty to be found in that fo r

anyonewho has examined n detail the way in which new rock is formed in the

subterranean galleries of the earth, where stones were quarried formerly. For onnppositionwhether a creamlike crust of stone hardens on the surfacc of the water, sinking to i:':,:;,:i,:t;'the bottom when it has becomeheayier.or particlcsof stonesare producedevenly

throughout the water, settling out gradually, the sediment grows only at a slow rate,

thus, onl)' those things which are already adhering to thc botton, whether they be

dcad aninrals, kinsof deadcreaturesj r l ive animalsunsuitcd or locomotion, wil l

be covercd over by new sediment; he rest of the l iving animals,striving ?rbovehe

said sediment, fill the waters with numerous progeny before a new sediment is laid

down there. In addition, is may be stated that (1) the stagnant water in thesesubter-

raneangallericsalwayspreserveshc animals hat were once produced here, con-

trary to what happenswith runningwater, (2 ) shellf ishand similar kinds of animals

do not prey on their ow n kind, other aquatic animals do and so consumeeachother, (3) the shells of shellfish are rarely consumed while other aquatic animals

almost completely cl issolvedn water- All this evidenceseems o me to carry no

little weight in establishing nly theory, especially since nothing can be readily

brought against t from the shapeand substanceof thosebodies.

With regard to the shape of the bodies of which we speak,since this corresponds on h? hape

cxactly to parts of animals. the similarity of forms seems to suggest a sinrilarity :l,";ri:::::of origin; indeed it is dilficult to believe that such great conformity should be riaa,7.

observcd in any other basis, whatsoever you might propose for their manufacture.

And herewith is the clearcst proof ol this. Who docs not acknowledge that hexago-

nally shaped ock crystals,cubcs of pyrites, crystalsof salt from experiments n

Chcmistry,and countless ther bodiesprecipitated ro m lluid, have shapes hat arefar more regular than the shapesof scallops,bivalves,rvhelks, and the rest. Neverthe-

Iess,we observe n thesesimple bodiessonetimes he apex of a corner truncated,

sometimes everalbodiesadhering o each other without order, sometimesplanes

that differ from each other in size and position, and a variety of other ways in which

they diverge from the customary shape, How much greater and more numerous

should be the defectsobserved n bodiespossessing much more compositeshape,

and in those that are copies of animal parts. But if in certain places many oyster

shells are found hardened into one mass, this is not different from what happens te)ohse^u-

in the sea,since fro[t the sca too may be drawn huge massesof oysters of different "o"rr'

size, that adhere togelher in a wonderful {'ay. If certain mussel slrells arc found

broken across the middle, th€ cdge of the fragment itself provides evidence thatanother part was once attached to it; indced this is often found close to the first,

But if several tongue stones of various size, not all of them complete, are observed

sometimes o stick logether. as if in the sarnematrix, the same is noted in tho jaw of

1 l l

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A C arc h arod o n- I eud D i ssec ad

ri tudinis,nec onrncs ntcgrael simul eidem quasi matrici

1tur, n vivi aninralisnandibula idem conspicitur, bi nec

It omnes dentes,nec in ordinibus interioribus constituti

. indurati. Cum itaqve n corporibusplurimunrcompositis

nt , qv i in sinlpl icissimis orporibus freqventissinl isunt;ntur in istiscompositis orporibus. vi non codemomnino

us conspicjuntur; um cademcorpora, undecunqve ruta,

bus simillima sint:1:6 acile patct, f iguram il lorum corpo-

:s pro animaliumpartibushabeantur,

ndem corporum pcrgamJncc il la nostrac opinioni advcr-

star dura sit et gravis,sive corporum calcinatorummore

:ducatur,nihi l hi c effcctum est, qvod id generispartibus

rntigisse. idemus solidioracorpora,qvac ab animantibus

s mirtcrias n se continere:unam, qvae, f luidi subti l ioris

a, exhalationis cl l iqvoris specicapparet;alteram,qvae,

stcns,ad tempussit satis ongum, ntegraepartis f iguram

mia nrorr in pulvcrenrdilabatur. Sic ossaqvaequnqve t

ta. sic ccrvi cornua aliaqvc philosophice,ut dicunt, cal-

plurimum depcrdunt, retcnta nihi lonrinuspristina su a

am. magnitudine.Ncc enim aff irmarc ausim, magnitudi-

t qvidem n il l is corporibuspori post expulsumanimalem

m qvantitatis eplcri; sed et poterint i idcm pori imminui

ibuspartibus.Sic solidametallapr o vario caloris rigoris-

anr mutare vidi, non mutata figura, id qvod mihi favorei Magalotti in armilla aenea videre contigit, licebitqve

rl ium rerurncuriosis.

tymiae dcbcmus,nec dubito, qvin simil i modo in terrae

)um longa annorun serie sensirn ndurescit una cum dic-

scdimentum,non poterit subti l ius luidum intacta rel in-

oportet, pro ambientis terrae natura. vel animalem suc-

ineralem succum illis superaddat, vel cxhausto animali

l troducat, vel, si mutationisexpertianolumus minima na-

lm succumanimalem ransformet.Atqve ita qvidemsatis

puto, nec n terra, unde animalium partibus similia corpo-

is illis corporibus qvicqvam facile reperiri qvod obstet,

pro an malium.partibushabcantur,

I 1 3

a living animal where neither are all the teeth of the same size nor are the teeth ar-

ranged n the inner rows complctelyhardcned.Thus, since dcfccts hat occur vcry

frcqucntly in the simplestbodiesarc rarcly found in most of the compositebodies,

since no defects are observed in those composite bodies which are not found in

exactly he sameway in animal parts, since he said bodies,no matter where they

arc du g out. arc both very l ikc cach othcr and vcry l ike the parts of animals, t iseasy to show that the shape of those bodies is no obstaclc to our considering

them o be partsof animals.

When we passon to the substance f these odies, t is not contrary o our opinions

either. For whethcr, ike stone, t is hard and hcavy,or, l ike calcinedbodies, t is

light and easill' reduced to powder, nothing is shown by this that could not have

happcned with anirnal parts of this kind. We observe hat the more solid parts

taken fronr animals are made up of two different materials: one, which is conver-

ted to a f luid by the action of a more "subti le" fluid, beconres isibleas an exhala-

tion or a liquid; the other, being resistant to the motion of the more subtile fluid,

keeps ts complete shape or a reasonably ong time, until at length, aftcr a very long

dclay, it is broken down into powder. Thus, all sorts ol bones and horns exposedto an open f ire, stags'antlers and the rest, calcined scientif ically,as they say, ose

nlost of their f luid materials,nevertheless eeping heir pristineshapeand, as ar as

can be seen, heir size. For I dare not aff irm that their size is not diminished.

Indeed after thc animal juices have been expelled, the pores in those bodies could

be filled with an other fluid of the same volume, but it could also bt: that these same

poresdecreasen sizewhen he more solid parts collapse ogether.Thus. I haveseen

solid mctals change their size under variations in heat and cold, without changing

shape;as a favour to nre!my vcry dcar friend Lorenzo Magalotti demonstratedhi s

with a copper bracelet,',7 and this can be shown any day to all interested in the

thingsof nature.

We owe theseexpcriments to Chemistry, but I do not doubt that Nature operatesin a similar way in the bosom of th e earth. While th e collectedsedimenthardened

together with the said bodies over a long period of years, the subtile fluid could

not have eft the samebodies ntact, but must have, according o the nature of the

surrounding soil, either extracted animal juice from them, or addcd a mineral juice

to them, or introduced a mineral juice after the animal juice was removed, or, un-

lesswe are unwilling to find change n the smallest hings in nature, transformed the

animal juice into mineral. And thus, I reckon that I have shown sufficiently clearly

indeed tiat neither in the soil from which bodies resembling parts of animals are

dug nor in those bodies themsclves s it easy o find anything which is an obstacle to

the belief that those samebodies rnay be regarded as the parts of animals.

While I show that my opinion has the semblance f truth, I do not maintainthatholdcrs of contrary views are wrong. The same phenomcnon can be explained in

many ways; indeed Nature in her operations achievcs the same end in various

ways. Thus it would be imprudent to recognize only one method out of thcm all

A C drc harodonJ I ead D isse c d

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steno 1667

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