Spermatozoa of a rabbit by van Leeuwenhoek, described in a letter of 1685. Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) built his own microscop
Spermatozoa of a rabbit by van Leeuwenhoek, described in a letter of 1685. Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) built his own microscopes and was able to study the natural world in greater detail than was previously possible. His observations included protozoa, bacteria, insects, plants, minerals, blood cells, and sperm. Van Leeuwenhoek was the first to observe human sperm, doing so in 1677. Here, he identifies and discusses features of the head and tail of the sperm cells (labelled). His earliest observations were published in 1673, and over the next 50 years he self-published and wrote hundreds of letters to scientists and learned societies detailing his discoveries. This page is from Letter 45 to the Royal Society, written 30 March 1685.
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Photo credit: © LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, RARE BOOK AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DIVISION/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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