生物學 1665

顯微圖譜：以放大鏡對微小物體所作的若干生理學描述（顯微術）

羅伯特·虎克

透過鏡片，一片軟木竟是無數空盒子——他稱之為「細胞」。

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In depth · the introduction

他把一片軟木削得薄到幾近於無，舉到一台自製的顯微鏡前——竟看見這尋常之物，是由千百萬個空空的小盒子砌成的。他把它們叫作「細胞」。

核心想法

1665 年，沒有人知道生物在極近處究竟由什麼構成。羅伯特·虎克，供職於倫敦那家剛剛成立的皇家學會，造出了強力的顯微鏡，並把它對準尋常之物：一隻跳蚤、一枚針尖、一隻蒼蠅的眼睛、一片軟木。透過鏡片，軟木根本不是實心的。它是一格格有壁小室的蜂巢，像一摞空空的盒子。

虎克需要一個詞來稱呼這些小房間，於是把它們叫作 cells（細胞）。他甚至做了算術：沿著一條線數過去，估算出一立方英寸的軟木裡竟有逾十億個。其實他看到的，是細胞死後留下的、空空的壁——但這個名字留了下來，並成為一切生命基本單元的稱謂。

它是如何誕生的

虎克是個永不安分的發明家，也是皇家學會第一任「實驗主管」——拿薪水、每週都得想出新演示的那個人。他親手磨製鏡片，設計自己的顯微鏡，用一隻盛水的玻璃球把火焰之光會聚起來照亮標本，又熬過許多長夜，把所見之物一一畫下。成果，便是《顯微圖譜》，一時轟動：一部又大又美的書，其中可摺疊的版畫把一隻巨大的跳蚤、一隻駭人的蝨子，頭一回呈到尋常讀者眼前，讓他們第一次看見那不可見之物。塞繆爾·佩皮斯稱它是自己讀過的最巧妙的書，捧著它一直坐到凌晨兩點。

虎克也以脾氣火爆著稱。他曾與艾薩克·牛頓爭執：究竟是誰最先領悟了引力如何隨距離而減弱；而他自己那條彈性定律，至今仍以他為名。才華橫溢又好與人爭——他沒有留下一幅經證實的肖像，卻留下了「細胞」這個詞。

它為何重要

這正是生物學得到它最小構件、並為之命名的時刻。我們今天關於「生命由細胞構成」的一切說法，都從這裡開始。同樣重要的是，《顯微圖譜》展示了一件儀器能做什麼：虎克主張，藉由「為天然的器官添上人造的器官」，我們便能發現一個肉眼永遠無法觸及的「新的、可見的世界」。這個許諾——合適的工具，能揭開現實隱藏的一層——正是現代科學的引擎。

一個可以想像的畫面

想想一塊蜜蜂的蜂巢，或者一張氣泡膜。遠看，它像一整塊結實的板。湊近了，它不過是一圈圈圍著空無的壁——成千上萬個小室，緊挨著排在一起。虎克的軟木恰是如此：一個絕大部分是空的結構，正因如此，軟木才那麼輕、能漂浮、能封住瓶口。壁是真的；房間是真的；而「房間」——拉丁文裡的 cella——正是 cell（細胞）的意思。

它的位置

虎克處在科學革命的破曉時分，與牛頓（其《自然哲學的數學原理》也將出現在本圖書館中）以及荷蘭布商安東尼·范·列文虎克同時——後者很快用更簡單的鏡片，看見了活的「微動物」，那是最早被看見的細菌與原生動物。虎克給了生物學「細胞」這個詞；將近兩個世紀後，施萊登、施旺與魏爾肖把它發展為細胞學說——一切生命皆是細胞，而細胞只能源自細胞。從那裡，這條線索徑直通向孟德爾的遺傳，以及每一個細胞之中的 DNA。

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Original source text

序言——為感官添上人造的器官

Robert Hooke · Micrographia · 1665 · The Preface

The next care to be taken, in respect of the Senses, is a supplying of their infirmities with Instruments, and, as it were, the adding of artificial Organs to the natural; this in one of them has been of late years accomplisht with prodigious benefit to all sorts of useful knowledge, by the invention of Optical Glasses.

By the means of Telescopes, there is nothing so far distant but may be represented to our view; and by the help of Microscopes, there is nothing so small, as to escape our inquiry; hence there is a new visible World discovered to the understanding.

第十八則觀察——軟木的肌理

Observ. XVIII · Of the Schematisme or Texture of Cork, and of the Cells and Pores of some other such frothy Bodies

I took a good clear piece of Cork, and with a Pen-knife sharpen'd as keen as a Razor, I cut a piece of it off … I with the same sharp Penknife, cut off from the former smooth surface an exceeding thin piece of it, and placing it on a black object Plate, because it was it self a white body, and casting the light on it with a deep plano convex Glass, I could exceeding plainly perceive it to be all perforated and porous, much like a Honey-comb, but that the pores of it were not regular.

Next, in that these pores, or cells, were not very deep, but consisted of a great many little Boxes, separated out of one continued long pore, by certain Diaphragms, as is visible by the Figure B, which represents a sight of those pores split the long-ways.

I no sooner discern'd these (which were indeed the first microscopical pores I ever saw, and perhaps, that were ever seen, for I had not met with any Writer or Person, that had made any mention of them before this)…

數算細胞

Observ. XVIII · the arithmetic of the pores

But, to return to our Observation. I told several lines of these pores, and found that there were usually about threescore of these small Cells placed end-ways in the eighteenth part of an Inch in length, whence I concluded there must be neer eleven hundred of them, or somewhat more then a thousand in the length of an Inch, and therefore in a square Inch above a Million, or 1166400. and in a Cubick Inch, above twelve hundred Millions, or 1259712000.

the substance of Cork is altogether fill'd with Air, and that that Air is perfectly enclosed in little Boxes or Cells distinct from one another.

[ … ]

Robert Hooke · Curator of Experiments to the Royal Society · London, 1665