Dissertatio inauguralis sistens
historiam metamorphoseos
quam ovum incubatum
prioribus quinque diebus subit
Auctore
Chr. Pander

Wirceburgi 1817
Typis Francisci Ernesti Nitribitt
Universitatis Typographi

Inaugural treatment
introducing the investigation
on the metamorphosis
the incubated egg undergoes
in the first 5 days
Author Christian Pander

Printed in
Würzburg - Bavaria - 1817
Typography of
Franz Ernst Nitribitt
typographer of the University

[1] PRAEFATIO

PREFACE

Cum vere anni MDCCCXVI amici cujusdam visendi causa Wirceburgum venissem; singulari quadam mea felicitate factum est, ut, quam antea civitatem inclytam quidem artis medicae sedem et quasi officinam cognoveram, in ea tamen tanta coli Aesculapium religione animadverterem, quantam neque antea [2] suspicatus eram ipse, neque scio an ullo alio loco nostri ei homines tantam exhibeant. Quibus rebus cognitis, in hoc mei numinis templo aliquot semestria ipse degere constitui. Non leve autem hac in re momentum habuit insignis, quae mihi innotuerat, Döllingeri, Professoris Clarissimi, humanitas atque indulgentia. Quem cum rogassem, ut mihi in instruenda adornandaque dissertatione academica, quam de objecto aliquo, novis observationibus ac lucubrationibus illustrando conscribere in animo erat, suasor auctorque rerum exsisteret; tanta ab eo ego exceptus sum benevolentia, ut non solum ea, quae eo ipso tempore de incubatis [3] ovis pericula inchoaverat, mecum communicaret, velletque, quod petieram, iis me omnibus, quae hoc in genere perscrutaturus et anquisiturus erat, interesse, sed etiam primum, habitando loco in ipsa ejus domo mihi concesso, deinde, accuratius demonstrata, quod ad hanc disciplinae nostrae partem persequendam non parum facit, subsidiorum, artificiorum, instrumentorumque ratione et usu, inchoatarum observationum continuationem et completam incubationis perscrutationem mihi relinquere non dubitaret.

Having come to Würzburg in the spring of 1816 with the purpose to visit a friend, to my extraordinary happiness it happened that in that city, I had previously known as an illustrious seat and, so to speak, as a laboratory of the medical art, however I realized that Aesculapius* was honoured here with so much devotion, much more as I had imagined before, and I don't even know if in some other place our men show him the same devotion. On realising this, I decided to remain for some semesters in this temple of my deity. But to this intention a not scarce importance has had the great humanity and indulgence, whose fame came up to me, of the Most Excellent Professor Ignaz Döllinger*. Having begged him to be my adviser and promoter in the things I had in mind to illustrate and to compile in the preparation and in the organization of the academic dissertation with new observations and meditations about some matter, I have been welcomed by him with so much benevolence that he put not only in common with me those experiments he started on the incubated eggs in that same period, and he wanted, a thing I had required, to acquaint me with all those things that in this respect he would have investigated and analysed, but also in the first place having granted me a space where to live in his own house, and therefore, after having pointed out more carefully the method and the employment of the helps, of the techniques and of the tools, a thing that greatly benefits to the treatment of this part of our discipline, he didn't hesitate to leave to me the continuation of the undertaken observations and the complete investigation of the incubation.

Exceperat autem Döllingerus V. Cl. hoc unum, Dominum ut d'Alton, virum et rerum naturae investigandae studiosissimum [4] et picturae non minus atque caelaturae mirum quantum peritum, qui jam ante aliquot annos Dn. Professori, de disquisitione foetuum animalium omnis generis cogitanti, suam socii operam spoponderat, in nostri consilii communionem venire rogarem. Quod ab eximia Viri benignitate facile impetravi.

Actually the illustrious teacher Döllinger decided this only thing, that I begged Mr. Eduard d'Alton* to join our association, an extremely curious man of the investigations on the nature as well as extraordinarily experienced both of painting and of engraving, who already some years before promised his collaboration as a partner to Mr. Professor, planning a disquisition on the fetuses of the animals of every sort. A thing I easily got from the excellent generosity of the Man.

Quo quidem rerum mearum statu quid potuit ad meum consilium aptius mihi accidere? quid ad prosperum successum efficacius? quid ad omnem vitae meae rationem jucundius? Hoc mihi reliquum erat, ut unice ipse caverem, ne quid operae, ne quid curae et diligentiae, ne quid sedulilatis et [5] lucubrationis praeterirem, ut faustis suspiciis eventus faustus responderet. Quorum nihil a me puto omissum esse. Debebam autem eo strenuior esse, quo splendidioribus mihi exemplis praeibant, Viri summi Döllingerus et d'Alton, qui suam omnem attentionem in {meas} <meos> labores contulerunt, omnes et disquisitiones unanimiter direxerunt et auxerunt. Quibus potissimum si quid in commentatione inest, quod probetur, quod laudetur, quod scientiam nostram adjuvet, id acceptum referas.

Really, being so my things, what more proper for my proposal would have been able to happen to me? What more effective for a favourable success? What more cheerful for the planning of my life? To me only remained to forearm myself from to skip something of the job, something of the care and diligence, something of the promptness and meditation, so that a happy success was responding with happy intuitions. I think that on my behalf nothing has been omitted. In fact I would had to be so more active how more splendid were the examples with which exceptional men as Döllingers and d'Alton anticipated me by pouring all their attention on my jobs, they also addressed and increased all the researches in an unanimous way. Above all, if in my dissertation something appreciated by them is present, praised by them, benefiting to our science, it would be considered satisfactory.

Haec fere habui, quae de tempore et modo, quo haec dissertatio adornata est, dicerem. Accedent proxime ad argumentum [6] nostrum luculentius exponendum singularum rerum observatarum imagines, a d'Alton delineatae et aere excussae.

Really I had to say these things about the time and the manner this dissertation has been prepared. Afterwards, to expose our matter with larger abundance, the images of each observed thing will be added, drawn by d'Alton and embossed on bronze.