Author: REDI, FRANCESCO
Title: Opusculorum pars prior, sive experimenta circa generationem insectorum ad illustrem virum Carolum Dati. Accedit J.Frid. Lachmund De Ave Diomedea dissertatio. ... AND 2) IDEM, Tomus Alter. Experimenta circa varias res naturales...
Description: Amstelaedami, Apud Henricum Wetstenium, 1686. - 1685. 12mo. In 2 vols. W. engr. front. ('Fr. Redi De Insectis'; A woman using a microscope, 2 putti catching butterflies / insects by R. de Hooghe dated 1670), 12 engr. pls. (9 fold.), 28 engr. single p. pls.; In the Lachmund 5 (4 fold.) pls. numbered A, B, I, II, III. In 'Tomus Alter' a similar engr. front. ('Francisci Redi Experimenta Naturalia'; a woman being offered a pearl, an armadillo [?] by indigenous folk etc. signed 'C.decker. f') and 9 fold. engr. pls., 4 single page engr. pls. and 2 textills. (at p. 119). . Original contemp. covers, spines uniformly rebacked / renewed in matching colour clf., w. red title shields, giltl. (XII, 216, XX (Index); 40, VI (Index) pp. (VIII, 312, XXXII (Index rerum) pp.). (Vol. 2 first 30 pp. a vague watersp. lower righthand corner; quire M some light browning; 1 folding plate (at p. 143 a fold clumsily rep.). DSB XI, 341 - 343: Redi's masterpiece is considered to be "Esperienze intorno alla generazione degli insetti (1668)", in which he disproved the doctrine of spontaneous generation in insects, ... The micrsocope revealed in insects an organization as marvellous as it was unsuspected.': Brit. Mus. Nat Hist. IV, 1660: Cole 571 & 804 (Lachmund) : Dibner, Heralds, comp. 188: Comp. G&M 97 (First ed. 1668): Norman 1812 (first ed.).:'In this scientific attack on the doctrine of spontaneous generation Redi demonstrated, by means of a series of simple experiments involving sealed, open and gauze-covered flasks of meat, that organic matter remained free of larva when protected from insect contamination. He thus proved that "flesh and plants and other things whether putrefied or putrefiable play no other part, nor have any other function in the generation of insects, than to prepare a suitable place or nest into which, at the time of procreation, the works or eggs or other seed of worms are brought and hatched by the animals." Having shown that insect contagion was necessary before decaying substances could develop worms, Redi applied the same principle to parasites found in living creatures. However, he was led astray by his observations into claiming that gall insects were spontaneously generated by the plants housing them, an error that Malpighi corrected in 1679.': Hoeppli, Parasites, p. 256 a.o.pl.: Horblit, comp. 88: Nissen I, 3320: Waller 11937: Wellcome IV, 488: Krivatsy, 9457: Prandi, 40: Second Latin edition (see also the ed. Amsterdam, Frisius 1670/1.) of Redi's classic treatise, here appended the publication by Friedrich Lachmund from Hildesheim "De Ave Diomedea" (See Cole, 804; Ripley Scribner, Ornith. books at Yale, comp. p. 163). Complete with the vol. 2 'Tomus alter. Experimenta circa varias res naturales ...', which was published before the first volume here offered, Amsterdam, Wetstein, 1685.

Keywords: parasitology avibus birds natural history Vilid