Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680) Dutch naturalist. Swammerdam's observations on the contraction of muscle. V: Dissected muscle with nerve attached (nerve-muscle preparation). VI: Nerve-muscle preparation in glass tube, tendons attached to pins. When nerve pinched, the muscle contracts and fills VIII: Nerve-muscle preparation in glass tube, one end closed with a cork, the other having narrow tube with water droplet at e. Nerve pulled by thread c. IX: Similar to VIII. Engraving from Biblia Naturae by Jan Swammerdam (1737-1738).