RECORD: Darwin, C. R. n.d. [measurements of molecules]. CUL-DAR51.C15. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed and edited by John van Wyhe 11.2025. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.


C15

Cubic 1/1000th of inch < 131,099,300,000,000,000,000 X
  or 131 million million million molecules

Again
Cubic 1/10000th of inch = 1/103 cubic 1/1000th inch
      = 1/100 of cubic 1/1000th inch

∴ Cubic 1/10000th inch  > 16,386,170,000,000 X
      or 16 million million
   & > 13,109,930,000,000,000
      or 13,109 million million
(Final & Best)
Result.
A cubic 1/1000th of an inch contains between 16 thousand million million, & 131 million million million molecules
And a cubic 1/10000th of an inch contains between 16 million million and 131 thousand million million molecules

Bacterium [timed] is 1/40,000 of inch in diameter, one of smallest inf — animals
Blod-corpusle 1/3200 of inch


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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 27 November, 2025