Micrographia, or, Some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses with observations and inquiries thereupon. . . by Robert Hooke
This month’s featured text is Micrographia or Some physiological descriptions of minute bodiesmade by magnifying glasses with observations and inquiries thereupon. . . by Robert Hooke (1635-1703). Hooke was born on the Isle of Wight to Rev. John Hooke, the minister of the parish. His father died when he was 13 and Robert used his inheritance to secure an apprenticeship with Sir Peter Lely (a painter). Painting, however did not agree with Hooke, so he went to live with Richard Busby, the master of Westminster school and attended classes infrequently. Eventually, he went to Christ Church College, Oxford where he worked with Robert Boyle and earned his MA degree in 1663. In 1662 he was offered the position of curator of experiments for the newly formed Royal Society of London. He performed his job very well and later was given a lectureship at Gresham College, London, a research scientist position at the Royal Society (he was also named a secretary for the society in 1677), and a post as a surveyor to oversee the reconstruction of London after the great fire of 1666. He invented the spring regulated watch and published a wide variety of scientific works including An Attempt to Prove the Motion of the Earth by Observation (1674), A Description of Helioscopes and some other Instruments (1676) and perhaps his most well known work Micrographia (1665).

Micrographia was one of the seminal works of science in its day and was the first work to observe minute structures and use those observations to draw larger conclusions about the natural world. In Micrographia, Hooke observed the gnats, fleas, drops of water, kidney stones, and pieces of wood among other things. He also describes some of the instruments he invented for this work such as the wheel barometer and several kinds of lenses. Hooke's discoveries included concepts like what is now known as Boyle's law (a relation between the pressure and volume of gasses), a calculation of the height of the atmosphere, combustion, fossilization, and the refraction of light. Hooke was important to the history of science in many respects. He helped to create a strong role for empirical observation within science, helped to begin the subfield of microscopy, and laid the foundations for many scientists to build upon his nascent theories. His discoveries are part of the much larger scientific revolution that encompassed researchers like Boyle, Newton, and others. He was an important man in the foundation of modern European science and Micrographia helps to understand this role.

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