生物學 1677

關於小動物的觀察（致皇家學會的信）

安東尼·范·雷文霍克

僅僅一滴水，原來擠滿了肉眼看不見的活物。

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荷蘭小城裡的一名布商，透過一顆自製的玻璃珠去看一滴水——卻發現裡頭擠滿了成千上萬、從沒有人見過的、游動著的生物。

核心想法

安東尼·范·雷文霍克發現，這世界滿是遠小到肉眼看不見的活物。他透過一顆微小卻異常強大的透鏡，看見一滴水裡擠滿了他稱之為「小動物」的東西——蠕動、竄動、旋轉。我們今天知道，那些正是細菌和別的微生物，而他是第一個親眼望見它們的人。

更叫人吃驚的，是它們的數目。他靠估算它們的大小，推算出僅僅一滴泡過胡椒的水裡，就有逾一百萬個活的生物——還說他大可老實地把這個數寫成八倍。原來，一整個活著的世界，一直就藏在眾目睽睽之下，藏在每一窪水、每一滴雨裡。

它是如何誕生的

雷文霍克並非科班出身的科學家。他是一名布商——賣布的——也是代爾夫特的一名市政小吏，沒上過大學，也不懂當時做學問所用的拉丁文。布商查驗布料的優劣，要用放大鏡，而雷文霍克對把放大鏡做得更好這件事入了迷，竟學會了磨製、熔鑄出比誰都強得多的微小玻璃透鏡。他從不出售這個祕密，也從不說明自己究竟是怎麼做的。

好奇心帶他從布料走向一切：池塘水、雨水、血液、唾液、泡在水裡的胡椒。1676 年，他用荷蘭文給倫敦的皇家學會寫了一封長信，描述他看見的「小動物」。學會祕書亨利·奧爾登堡把信譯成英文、刪減後發表。那些說法聽起來太離奇，幾乎無人相信——直到羅伯特·虎克親自磨出足夠好的透鏡證實了它們，學會這才終於接納這位自學成才的荷蘭人為院士。

它為何重要

這是人類第一次瞥見微生物的世界——微生物學的根基。兩個世紀後，「這些看不見的生物會引起疾病」這一認識，將經由巴斯德與科赫的工作徹底改變醫學。從理解感染、到疫苗，到發酵麵包與啤酒，再到繪製住在我們體內的細菌——一切，都始於雷文霍克所確立的那個樸素而驚人的事實：在我們視線之下的尺度上，生命正密密麻麻地湧動。

一個可以想像的畫面

想像肉眼，就像從飛機上俯瞰一座城市：你看得見樓房和馬路，卻看不見任何一個人。一片好的透鏡，就像一路降到街面——城市忽然擠滿了從高空根本認不出的人。雷文霍克的透鏡，把他降到了一滴水的「街面」，顯露出一群熙熙攘攘、一直就在那裡、卻小到從我們這高度無從察覺的居民。

它的位置

十一年前，羅伯特·虎克的《顯微圖譜》（1665）曾透過顯微鏡，把軟木的「細胞」展示給世人，但虎克看到的是結構，而非活著的微生物。雷文霍克看到的，是生命本身。從他那滴水出發，路徑一路向前，通往巴斯德的細菌理論，通往弗萊明那殺死細菌的黴菌（也在本館收藏之中），再通往今天對微生物的基因解讀——而它們每一個，都是「一名布商望進一滴水、看見它動了起來」那一刻的後裔。

The original document

Original source text

初見小動物

Antony van Leewenhoeck · in a Dutch letter of the 9th Octob. 1676, here English'd · Phil. Trans. 12 (1677): 821–831

In the year 1675, about half-way through September (being desirous to know what might be in rain-water, which stood but few days in a new tub, that was painted blew within), I discovered living creatures in rain, which had stood but few days in a new tub.

When these animalcules or living atoms did move, they put forth two little horns, continually moving themselves. … The whole body was somewhat flat, provided with divers incredibly thin little feet, or little legs, which were moved very nimbly.

浸過胡椒的水

I did, in the beginning of the year 1676, put some whole pepper in water, conceiving that the pepper would, in the water, dissolve the small particles of itself … and that, after some weeks of standing, I should be able to discover whether anything were in it.

The 24th of April [1676] … I saw therein, with great wonder, an incredible number of very little animals of divers kinds; and among others, some that were no less than a thousand times smaller than the smallest ones I had ever yet seen.

[ … ]

The 31th of May, I perceived in the same water more of those animals, as also some that were somewhat bigger.

And I imagine, that ten hundred thousand of these little Creatures do not equal an ordinary grain of Sand in bigness.

一滴水中有幾何

When I had viewed the great number of little animals, and reckoned with myself how great the number might be in a quantity of water no bigger than a grain of millet-seed, I came to this, that in one drop of pepper-water there were upwards of one million of living creatures.

And when, in my letter of the 9th of October 1676, I set down that there were upwards of 1,000,000 living creatures in one drop of pepper-water, I might with truth have put the number at eight times as many.

Translation note: the following sign-off line is from Clifford Dobell, “Antony van Leeuwenhoek and his Little Animals” (1932), rendering the same Dutch letter.

For me, no more pleasant sight has yet met my eye than this of so many thousands of living creatures in one small drop of water, all huddling and moving, but each creature having its own motion.

Antony van Leewenhoeck · Delft · in a Dutch letter of the 9th October 1676