Page:The Works of William Harvey (part 1 of 2).djvu/567

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ON GENERATION.
467

cussing viviparous generation, refer all to the fallow deer and roe. In taking this course, I am not moved by the same reasons as I was in reference to the hen's egg; but because the great prince, whose physician I was, besides taking much pleasure in such inquiries, and not disdaining to bear witness to my dis- coveries, w r as pleased in his kindness and munificence to order me an abundant supply of these animals and repeated oppor- tunities of examining their bodies.

I therefore propose to give the history of generation in the hind and doe as I have observed it during a long series of years, and as most familiar to me, believing that from thence some- thing certain in reference to the generation of other viviparous animals may be concluded. In giving a faithful narrative of this history, I shall not abstain in its course from introducing particulars worthy of note that have either been observed acci- dentally and by the way, or that are the result of particular dissections instituted for the purpose of arriving at conclusions, the subjects of these having been other bisulcated, hoofed, or multungulated animals, or, finally, man himself. We shall give a simple narrative of the series of formations of the foetus, fol- lowing the footsteps of nature in the process.

EXERCISE THE SIXTY-FIFTH.

Of the uterus of the hind and doe.

About to treat of the generation of the hind and doe, our. first business will be to speak of the place where it proceeds, or of the uterus, as we have done above, in giving the history of the comrion fowl, by which all that follows will be more easily and readily understood. And history has this great pre-emi- nence over fable, that it narrates the events which transpired in certain places at certain times, and therefore leads us to knowledge by a safe and assured way.

Now that we may have a clearer idea of the uterus of the hind, I shall describe both its external and internal structure, following the uterus of the human female as my guide. For man is the most consummate of creatures, and has therefore