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The Elementary Organisms
1Historisches Seminar, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, Munich, 80539, Germany. dan@dan-liu.net.
Abstract:
In 1861 the physiologist Ernst Brücke (1819-1892) published "The Elementary Organisms," calling for a major reform of the definition of the animal cell. An English translation of Brücke's essay is presented here for the first time. In this translation the numbered footnotes 1-9 are Brücke's own; alphabetical endnotes A-HH are my own annotations, with additional references to works cited by Brücke. Figures referenced by Brücke but not included in his original essay are also provided. I have also presented an introductory essay to my translation that provides background on Brücke and his arguments: "The Schema and Organization of the Cell," https://doi.org/10.1007/s10739-024-09774-8 , in this same issue of the Journal of the History of Biology.
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