Bonnet, Spallanzani, and Voltaire on Regeneration of Heads in Snails: a Continuation of the Spontaneous Generation Debate
1985; Schwabe AG; Volume: 42; Issue: 3-4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1163/22977953-0420304007
ISSN2297-7953
Autores Tópico(s)Historical and Literary Analyses
Resumos discovery of regeneration of heads in snails * created a sensation similar to the one following Abraham Trembley's observation in the 1740's of the extraordinary regeneration capabilities of hydra or freshwater polyps whose tiniest chopped up parts would grow into complete individuals.^Sincesnails were easier to find than hydra, and the operation relatively simple, naturalists as well as laymen took to their scissors in order to find out whether an animal with eyes, a mouth, teeth, horns, and more important, a brain or a soul, could actually live after decapitation and then reproduce all its lost parts.The ensuing battle split naturalists from all over Europe into two camps: those who agreed with Spallanzani and those who disagreed.®Voltaire was curious enough to try the experiments himself.In Les Co/tmafons he wrote: «Il y a quelque temps qu'on ne parlait que des
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