The Anatomy of Plants

Book 4 - Anatomy of Leaves, Flowers, Fruits and Seeds

Anatomy of Leaves Anatomy of Flowers Anatomy of Fruits Anatomy of Seeds LECTURES Mixture Luctation Lixivial Salts Marine Salts Colours of Plants Tasts in Plants Salts in Water INDEX EXPLICATION OF TABLES TABLES

At a Meeting of the Council of the ROYAL SOCIETY, Feb. 22. 1681/2

Dr. Grew having read several Lectures of the Anatomy of Plants, some whereof have been already printed at divers times, and some are not printed; with several other Lectures of their Colours, Odours, Tasts, and Salts; as also of the Solution of Salts in Water; and of Mixture; all of them to the satisfaction of the said Society: It is therefore Ordered, That He be desired, to cause them to printed together in one Volume.

CHR. WREN P.R.S.

THE

ANATOMY

PLANTS.

WITH AN

IDEA

OF A

Philosophical History of Plants,

And several other

LECTURES,

Read before the

ROYAL SOCIETY.

By NEHEMJAH GREW M.D. Fellow of the ROYAL SOCIETY, and of the COLLEGE of PHYSICIANS.

Printed by W. Rawlins, for the Author, 1682.

TO HIS MOST

Sacred Majesty

CHARLES II.

King of Great Britain, &c.

May it please Your Majesty,

The Dedication of one Part of the following Anatomy having been very graciously received by Your Majesty: I am now emboldened most humbly to present the Whole into Your Royal Hands.

By which Your Majesty will find, That there are Terræ Incognitæ in Philosophy, as well as Geography. And for so much, as lies here, it comes to pass, I know not how, even in this Inquisitive Age, That I am the first, who have given a Map of the Country.

Your Majesty will here see, That there are those things within a Plant, little less admirable, than within an Animal. That a Plant, as well as an Animal, is composed of several Organical Parts; some whereof may be called its Bowels. That every Plant hath Bowels of divers kinds, conteining divers kinds of Liquors. That even a Plant lives partly upon Aer; for the reception whereof, it hath those Parts which are answerable to Lungs. So that a Plant is, as it were, an Animal in Quires; as an Animal is a Plant, or rather several Plants bound up into one Volume.

Again, that all the said Organs, Bowels, or other Parts, are as artificially made; and for their Place and Number, as punctually set together; as all the Mathematick Lines of a Flower or Face. That the Staple of the Stuff is so exquisitely fine, that no Silk-worm is able to draw any thing near so small a Thred. So that one who walks about with the meanest Stick, holds a Piece of Natures Handicraft, which far surpasses the most elaborate Woof or Needle-Work in the World.

That by all these Means, the Ascent of the Sap, the Distribution of the Aer, the Confection of several sorts of Liquors, as Lympha’s, Milks, Oyls, Balsames; with other parts of Vegetation, are all contrived and brought about in a Mechanical way. In sum, Your Majesty will find, that we are come ashore into a new World, whereof we see no end.

It may be, that some will say, into another Utopia. Yet not I, but Nature speaketh these things: the only true Pallas, wherewith it is treasonable for the most couriously handed Arachne to compare. In whose Name, I, the meanest of her Pupils, do in all humility crave Your Majesties Gracious Patronage. Whereof I cannot doubt, since Your Majesty hath been pleased to be the Founder, and to style Your Self the Patron of that Society, of which I have the honour to be a Member. Your Majesty deeming it to be a more Noble Design, To enlarge the Territories of Knowledge, than those of Dominion: and the Highest Pitch of Human Glory, not to rule, in any sort, over many; but to be a Good Prince over Wise Men. I am

Your Majesties most humble and most obedient Subject

NEHEMJAH GREW.

THE PREFACE.

It is a Politick or Civil Virtue in every prudent mans Eye, To set himself an example, in what he doth, unto others. And in so doing, he looks upon himself as accountable, in some sort, to all Men. To those therefore, who may either expresly, or tacitly, expect the Reasons, upon which I first undertook the Anatomy of Plants, and also made the after-progress therein; I shall summe them up as follows.

The first occasion of directing my Thoughts this way, was in the Year 1664, upon reading some, of the many and curious Inventions of Learned Men, in the Bodies of Animals. For considering, that both of them came at first out of the same Hand; and were therefore the Contrivances of the same Wisdom: I thence fully assured my self, that it could not be a vain Design; to seek it in both. And being then newly furnished with a good stock of Seeds, in order to raise a Nursery of Plants; I resolved, besides what I first aimed at, to make the utmost use of them for that purpose: that so I might put somewhat upon that side the Leaf which the best Botanicks had left bare and empty. And in which, notwithstanding some other Learned Men had inferred somewhat of this nature; as Dr. Highmore in his Book of Generation, Dr. Sharrock of the Propagation of Plants, and Mr. Hook in his Micrography: yet but collaterally, and whithout shewing any purpose of managing this Part of Natural History. And although it seemed at first an Objection in my way, That the first projectors seldome bring their business to any good end: yet I also knew, That if Men should stay for an Example in every thing; nothing extraordinary would ever be done.

But notwithstanding the reasonableness of the Design; yet I did not forget, that, in respect of the Undertaker, there might be Impar congressus. And therefore, before I had ventured very far, in the Year 1668, I imparted it to my Brother-in-Law, the Learned Dr. Henry Sampson, now Fellow of the Colledge of Physicians in London. Who not only very well liked the same; but also excited me to a vigorous and accurate prosecution of it. Which he did, partly, by mentioning a very pertinent passage of Dr. Glisson, in the Preface to his Book de Hepate, which I had not then read.

Plantæ quoque in hunc censum (sc. Anatomicum) veniunt; variâ enim Partium texturâ, & differentiis constant: & proculdubio, ex acurata earundem dissectione, utiles valde observationes nobis exurgerent: præstaretque in illis (inferioris licet ordinis) rebus examinandis operam impendere, quam in transcribendis ut sæpe sit, aliorum laboribus, inutiliter ætatem transigere. Quippe hoc pacto, ignavarum apum more, aliena duntaxat alvearia expilamus, nihilque bono publico adjicimus.

Ch. 1.

After I had finished the First Book, that I might know the sense also of other Learned Men, whether the steps I had already taken, would warrant me to proceed any further: I put some part of it into the same Hand; who, in the Year 1670, communicated the same to Mr. Oldenburge, then Secretary to the Royal Society: and after he had read it over, it was, upon his motion, delivered to that excellent Person Dr. John Wilkins then Bishop of Chester; who produced it at a Meeting of the Royal Society, and desired, they might see the rest. Which, or the greatest part, being also presented to them, the Right Honourable the Lord Vicount Brouncker, then President of the Royal Society, was pleased to peruse the same. Presently, after which, at a Meeting of the Council of the said Society, the following Order was made, and entred in their Council-Book with this Date, and in these words:

May 11ᵗʰ 1671.

Then was Licensed Dr. Nehemjah Grew’s Book, Entituled, The Anatomy of Vegetables begun; together with an account of Vegetation grounded thereupon. And Ordered to be Printed by the Printer to the Royal Society.

Hereupon, I was obliged to send the Book to the Press. And upon the 9ᵗʰ of November following in the same Year 1671, when it was near being printed, my Lord Brouncher signed the forementioned Order: the Printer, whose Name was to be inserted therein, not having received his Diploma till that time.

The Book being quickly after printed off; I ordered it to be Presented to the Royal Society; which was accordingly done at one of their Meetings December 7, 1671. And also to be sent to the Bishop of Chester; who was pleased to signifie his acceptance thereof by a Letter dated at Chester, December 26ᵗʰ 1671. now filed amongst others in the Custody of the Royal Society: part whereof, in regard it relates to matter of Fact, I shall here recite.

Sir,

I did yesterday receive your Book; and am very sensible of the Honour you have done me in the Dedication of it. You was very happy in the choice of this Subject to write upon; one of the most Noble and the most Copious parts of Philosophy; and such an one, as hath hitherto lain uncultivated. And you have been very successful in your first Attempt about it, in so many remarkable Observations and Discoveries, as you have made already. I could heartily wish, that you would still apply your self to this kind of Enquiries. You will find that Additionals will come in more copiously and easily. And it is not fit, that any one should, by his Superstructions, carry away the praise from him, who was the first Inventor, and who laid the Foundations, wherein the greatest difficulty doth consist, &c.

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