The British natural philosopher, architect and polymath, Robert Hooke is perhaps the most neglected natural philosophers of all times despite the significant role he played in the scientific revolution. His prominent contributions include: the iris diaphragm in a camera, the universal joint used in a motor vehicle, the balance wheel in a watch, the origination of the word ‘cell’ in biology; he was Surveyor of the City of London after the Great Fire of 1666, architect, experimenter, worked in astronomy—yet is acknowledged mostly for Hooke’s Law.
His name is somewhat obscure today, due in part to the hostility of his well-known and dominant colleague, Sir Isaac Newton.
Robert was born on the 18th of July 1635 at Freshwater, in the Isle of Wight, England. He was the last of the four children of John Hooke and Mirena Blazer. His father was the minister of the Church of England. Most of his early life, Robert had poor health due to which he received most of his early education at home from his father, who was also in charge of a local school. As a youth, Robert had a natural curiosity in his surroundings and interest in mechanical works and drawing that he pursued in various ways all through his life.
At the age of thirteen young, Hooke was able to enter Westminster School, and from there went to Oxford, where some of the finest scientists in England were working at the time. There, he built a good impression with his skills at designing experiments and building equipment. He was appointed as a chemical assistant to Dr Thomas Willis and later met the natural philosopher Robert Boyle, and gained a position as his assistant from about 1655 to 1662.
During November 1661 he was appointed curator of experiments to the Royal Society after a proposition made by Sir Robert Murray. In 1664, Sir John Cutler settled an annual gratuity of fifty pounds on the Society for mechanical lectureship and in the following year Robert was nominated professor of geometry in Gresham College, where he later resided. After the Great Fire of 1666, he constructed a model for the rebuilding of the city, which was highly approved, although the design of Sir Christopher Wren was preferred.
Hooke’s contribution to biology is mainly his book Micrographia which was published in 1665. He developed the compound microscope and illumination system (one of the best such microscopes of his time) and used it in his demonstrations at the Royal Society’s meetings. Using it he also observed organisms as varied as insects, sponges, bryozoans, foraminifera and the bird’s feathers. This was a best-seller during his time.
His other contributions include: the law of elasticity, attracting principle of gravity; he resolved the problem of the measurement of the distance to a star; it was he who actually created the air pump on which Boyle’s experiments could be conducted, etc.
This inspirational founder of modern science passed away on March 3, 1703 in London, England.
