Micrographia or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies: Robert Hooke: CosimoBooks.com

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Micrographia or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies
by Robert Hooke

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Editorial Review

Editorial Review

Originally published in 1665, Micrographia is the most famous and influential work of English scholar ROBERT HOOKE (1635-1703), a notable member of the Royal Society and the scientist for whom Hooke's Law of elasticity is named. Here, Hooke describes his observations of various household and biological specimens, such as the eye of a fly and the structure of plants, and became the first person to use the term cell in biology, as the cells in plants reminded him of monk's living quarters. In addition to his studies using a microscope, Hooke also discusses the heavenly bodies as visible through a telescope. Students of science and the history of science will find Hooke's early forays into biology and optics a good primer for further learning.

Product Details

Publisher: Cosimo Classics
ISBN-10: 1-60206-663-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-60206-663-2
Amazon.com Sales Rank #1822063
Published on: June 01, 2007
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
380 pages

Customer Review

JM: Illustrations

I was relieved to find this book contained Hooke's beautiful illustrations, but their quality is poor-- like bad photocopies.

F. Ramos: The Most Famous Work of Robert Hooke and a Historical Primer for the Microscopic Study of Minute Bodies

Robert Hooke (1635 - 1703) was a contemporary of Sir Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle, and others. Robert Hooke is best known from Hook's Law of Elasticity for studying springs, however, he did more than just study displacement of bodies via forces. Here in "Micrographia" (1665) you get a better mix of the stuff he studied. He can be considered to be one of the fathers of biology because he was the first to coin the term "cell" for minute bodies. His studies on insects and plants in his studies of minute bodies with a microscope are essentially biological descriptions of these minute bodies. Here he studies and gives multiple descriptions from insects to the moon. Alchemy, studies of the air, nature of light and colors, and discourse on stars are just a few things you will find in "Micrographia". Also, it should be noted that Robert Hooke contributed to Newton's studies in light with observations found here in "Micrographia".

Side Note: As was usual of scientists of the time, scientists before his time, and later up to the scientists of the twentieth century, references to God can be found throughout the text as the "Creator" and other titles.

This edition of the book is an early edition of "Micrographia" and contains the full text and also the respective illustrations to further assess Robert Hooke's descriptions of minute bodies. On my copy, only Schemes (illustrations) 29, 34, and 35 were missing. The whole text, on the other hand, was there. On my comments I give more information on where to find a free complete copy of "Micrographia" with all of the Schemes (illustrations).

Here is generally what you will find in the "Micrographia":

He looks at the following under the microscope, and/or, describes: pin heads; razor's edges as rough ends; design if the linen cloth; silk and discusses the differences in coloring; glass canes; discourse on the nature of solids and fluids; discourse on heat as a property of vibrating and agitating bodies (12) ; congruity and incongruity in bodies (10-32); details on how to make a "thermometer"; glass working; studies sparks from flint striking steel where the "spark" ends up being a piece of flint or steel; discourse on color, light, optics, and the eye; creatures in sand; frozen bodies and creatures; snow; Kettering stone and inanimate porous substances; charcoal - characteristics and combustion residues; discourse on combustion; "alkali" (104); discourse on flames;

He looks at the following under the microscope, and/or, describes: petrified bodies; the "Plastic Virtue" - "nature does nothing in vain"; Corks; the term "cell" is first used (113); discourse on the physical organization of al vegetables; anatomy of plants; microscopic details of pants; "putrefaction" and the process of creation of species of plants and animals (123-125); first principles of vegetation arising from "putrefaction" (125-131); all physical bodies may be resolved to Air-Water-Earth (133); sponges and fibrous bodies; Aristotle is mentioned (138); sea weed; Rosemary and other leaves; needles of venomous plants; seeds; types of hair and skin; scales of fishes; bee stings; feathers; feet of flies and other insects; nature is viewed to work mechanically (171-172); discourse on structure and motion of fly and bee wings; eyes and head of a fly, dragon-fly, ant, and others; snail teeth; silk work eggs; Gnat (a water insect); moths; spiders; ants; mites; worms; fleas; eels; discourse on the sun and moon's characteristics via a telescope; experiments of air and it's effects on rays of light such as refraction; the Torricellian experiment mentioned (222); experiments on the expansion of air with mercury; discourse on the atmosphere and clouds and how they affect the rays of light; stars discovered by telescope; description of the moon as having "pits" how light comes from the sun to the moon (243); the moon is affected by gravity, but it's motion is not dependent on the motion of the earth (246)

Overall, this is a historical work that should be read by anyone interested in early microscopic studies of minute bodies and also to read the words of the giant named Robert Hooke. He definitely placed some foundations for the field that would eventually be called Biology by writing about what he saw under his light microscope.