Skip to content

Please be aware that some material may contain words, descriptions or illustrations which will not reflect current scientific understanding and may be considered in today's context inaccurate, unethical, offensive or distressing.

The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Letter, from Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to Robert Hooke, dated at Delft

Reference number: EL/L1/49

Date: 12 January 1680

Description

Concerning the germinal spot of an egg; microscopic observations of oak, elm, beech, willow, alder, ebony, box wood, straw; discusses the movement of water in tree vessels; observations of the sperm of various fish
Leeuwenhoek adds a note about his diagram of the circumference of an imaginary oak, alder etc showing annual growth rings
25 figures - five are in pencil and the others in red chalk- of transverse or tangential sections of different species of wood
Transcribed and translated in 'Alle de brieven van Antoni van Leeuwenhoek', edited, illustrated and annotated by Committee of Dutch Scientists, vol 3, p 145
Printed in 'Philosophical Transactions', vol 13, no 148, p 197

Reference number
EL/L1/49
Earliest possible date
12 January 1680
Page extent
19 pages
Format
Manuscript
Also available on Early Modern Letters Online
View Also available on Early Modern Letters Online (external link, opens in new tab)

Creator name

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

View page for Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

Use this record

IIIF manifest

View​ IIIF ​ manifest Opens in new tab

Open in Mirador viewer Opens in new tab

Export this record

Download PDF Opens in new tab

Citation

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Letter, from Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to Robert Hooke, dated at Delft, 12 January 1680, EL/L1/49, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/el_l1_49/letter-from-antoni-van-leeuwenhoek-to-robert-hooke-dated-at-delft, accessed on 11 September 2024

Link to this record

https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/el_l1_49/letter-from-antoni-van-leeuwenhoek-to-robert-hooke-dated-at-delft

Embed this record

<iframe src="https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/embed/items/el_l1_49/letter-from-antoni-van-leeuwenhoek-to-robert-hooke-dated-at-delft" title="Letter, from Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to Robert Hooke, dated at Delft" allow="fullscreen" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="500px"></iframe>

Related Publications

Hierarchy

This item is part of:

Related Fellows

Map

Explore the collection

  • Early Letters

    Dates: 1613-1740

    The archival collection known as 'Early Letters' is composed of original manuscript letters sent to, or collected by, the Royal Society from English and foreign correspondents.

    View collection