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MICROSCOPICAL INVESTIGATION. 357
stance of the brain is composed of blood vessels and small
follicles from which white nerve fibres arise. The peripheral
nerves were more minutely described and several
ganglia were discovered as, for example, the Gasserian
ganglion on the nervus trigeminus*
The anatomy of the sense-organs was worked at with
greater success. RUYSCH discovered that part of the
choroid coat of the eye named after him ; LEEUWENHOEK
described the structure of the lens as being of fibres united
into membranes; MEIBOM in 1666 pointed out the glands
imbedded in the substance of the tarsal cartilages and
STENO described the lachrymal apparatus ;t POURFOUR
DU PETIT discovered the canal running between the two
layers of the membrana hyaloidea of the vitreous humour
round the margin of the lens capsule. ZlNN drew attention
to the zonula ciliaris; DEMOURS observed the membrane
bearing his name on the posterior surface of the
cornea. DUVERNEY, VIEUSSENS, VALSALVA, CASSEBOHM,
COTUGNO and others occupied themselves with the anatomy
of the organ of hearing, while the structure of the organs
of voice and especially of the larynx was illustrated by
the investigations of DRELINCOURT, SANTORINI and WRIS-
BERG.
Physiological inquiry achieved the greatest success. The
age of experiment, as we may call the 17th century, brought
about a complete revolution in the views hitherto held on
this subject, and raised physiology into a science. The
discovery of the circulation of the blood formed the foundation
stone upon which the structure of this science was
erected. Already SERVET and REALDO COLOMBO had
taught that the blood passes from the right side of the
heart through the pulmonary artery and the pulmonary
veins to the left side of the heart; but WILLIAM HARVEY
* A. B. R. HIRSCH: Paris quinti nervorum encephali disquisitio anatomica,
Vienn. 1765, p. 20.
+ H. MEIBOM: De vasis palpebrarum novis, Lugd. Batav. 1723, p. 135 et
seq.