The Semen of the “Father of Microbiology”: The History of Sperm Under the Microscope
A sunny day in Delft (a Dutch city), 1677. Antonie van Leeuwenck falls in love with his wife. Overcome by orgasm, he rises from his bed and hurries to get his microscope. He ends up spending time not only with his wife but also conducting important scientific experiments commissioned by the Royal Society of London.
By then, Leeuwenck had already earned a reputation for his invention—the microscope. He studied various fluids in the human body, including tears, blood, breast milk, and saliva. And this time, it was sperm”s turn.
To do this, Anthony took a sample of his own semen directly from his wife, placed a substance on the microscope, and held the microscope up to the sun—”before counting six pulses.” When he looked through the lens, he became the first person to see a living sperm cell. Read also:
The History and Rules of Striptease. Photos of the World”s Most Famous Strippers What is striptease? Striptease is an erotic dance involving gradual undressing. The word itself consists of two parts: striptease—undressing and
In his November 1677 letter, “De Natis e semi-genital animal culis,” addressed to the Royal Society of London, Anthony describes a scene featuring “little animals” with heads and almost transparent tails. Each one, he wrote, “moved like a snake or eel in the water.”
Levegoeck knew his findings were significant. He continued to research the subject, studying animal sperm and discovering that it was produced in a test circle. However, he overestimated the potential of his research. Levegook began to argue that sperm is the only thing necessary for the creation of an embryo, while the egg and uterus are needed only as nourishment during the growth process. This completely upended the worldview of natural scientists of the time—the idea that sperm develops from the egg only after it is “illuminated” by the “living spirit.”
The true role of sperm and egg remained unclear until the mid-19th century.
Sperm under the microscope! with a doctor”s commentary
