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
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 27 November, 2025