The English naturalist Robert Hook was one of the most outstanding minds of the seventeenth century. He worked on a variety of hypotheses and instruments, improved the structure of the microscope and was the first to establish the features of the cellular structure of tissues.
The childhood of the great scientist
The future physicist, botanist, inventor and astronomer was born on July 18, 1635 in the city of Freshwater, which is located on the Isle of Wight. His father was abbot at All Saints Church. Relatives for a long time feared for the baby’s health, since he was very weak and frail, but Robert survived. In 1648, after the death of his father, Robert Hook moved to London and became a student of the artist named Peter Lely. Already becoming a famous scientist, he disapprovingly recalled his childhood years, but the skill of the illustrations with which the physicist accompanied his work allows us to say that time in the art workshop was not wasted in vain. At fourteen, the boy became a student at Westminster Bashby School, from which he graduated in 1653. Like any scientist, Robert Hooke studied Latin, which was the main language of scientific communication of those times. In addition, he knew Hebrew and Greek, knew how to play the organ and instantly mastered complex textbooks.
The beginning of scientific activity
After high school, Robert Hooke moved to Oxford to become a student at Christ Church College. In addition, he was a chorister in the church, as well as an assistant and close associate of Boyle. In those same years, acquaintance with the participants of the "Invisible College" of Oxford, the creators of the scientific and organizational society, which played a significant role in Hooke's life, took place. During this period, the physicist invented an air pump, created a treatise on the movement of fluid in capillaries. In addition, Robert Hook, whose discoveries made it possible to create a spring mechanism for a pocket watch, had a little argument with Huygens, who also dealt with such devices. In 1662, the scientist was awarded a master's degree in art from the University of Oxford, the Royal Society, at that time just emerging, appointed him the curator of the experiments. In 1663, Robert Hook created a charter for this academic community, was accepted into its membership, and in 1677 became its secretary.
London professor
Even a brief biography of Robert Hook can not do without mentioning that in 1664, when the plague raged in England, the physicist did not leave London. Shortly before that, he was appointed professor at Greshem College and lived in an apartment in his building. In addition, Hooke did not stop the activities of the curator of the experiments of the Royal Society. It was a difficult position for which no reward was expected. For a not-so-wealthy scientist, the preparation of new experiments was associated with significant costs. Nevertheless, this work helped his personal research and created the authority of a respected honorary consultant in physics. In addition, Robert’s breadth of interest impressed other members of the community. Information about Robert Hooke in The History of the Royal Society tells about his work as a curator and contains a description of his amazing experiments with vacuum, gunpowder, thermal expansion of glass, as well as the work on creating a microscope, iris and all kinds of meteorological instruments.
Creation of "Micrography"
In 1665, the most important work of the scientist was released. A treatise entitled "Micrography" outlined in detail the methods of using the microscope for a variety of scientific studies. It described sixty different experiments with parts of plants, insects, and animals. The discovery of the cellular structure of organisms was made precisely by Robert Hooke. Biology was not his main scientific interest, so the result of the research is all the more surprising. In addition, material on
fossils, makes Hooke also the founder of paleontology. The excellent quality of illustrations and engravings made Micrography an invaluable book. Despite the fact that the scientist is almost forgotten at the moment, his breakthrough in the study of cells is of tremendous importance. To know about this discovery is really worth it.
Cell opening
Robert Hook's improved microscope has been a subject of constant interest for the scientist. He examined with it many objects. Once, as an object for study, he came across a bottle cork. A slice made with a sharp knife amazed the scientist with his complex and regular structure. The cells that made up the cork material reminded Guk of a bee honeycomb. Since the section was of plant origin, further studies were carried out on the stems and branches of other plants. In a thin section of elderberry, Robert again saw a cellular surface. These cells, separated from each other by the thinnest partitions, were called cells by the physicist. He studied their size and the effect of their presence on the property of the material consisting of them. Thus began the story of the study of plant cells. Further work on them was transferred to another member of the Royal Society, Nehemiah Grew, who was more passionate about biology than Robert Hooke. The history of the discovery of cells was developed thanks to his efforts. Stubborn and attentive, he devoted his whole life to the study of plants and in many respects influenced the further course of science in this area. His main treatise on the topic was "Plant Anatomy with a Philosophical History of the Plant World and Several Other Papers Presented to the Royal Society." Meanwhile, physicist Robert Hooke has already embarked on other experiments.
Further activities
Robert Hook, whose biography has already been supplemented by the publication of Micrography, did not stop there. He developed theories about light, gravity and the structure of matter, came up with a computer for complex arithmetic operations, and improved the instrument, which allows studying the Earth's magnetic field. In some of his views, the scientist was too harsh.
For example, in 1674, he had a dispute with Hevelius related to the peculiarities of using microscopes. In the second half of the 1670s, works were written on the theory of elasticity, which became the basis for the famous Hooke's law. He said that the increase in length relative to the original is proportional to the magnitude of the force causing elongation, is inversely proportional to the size of the cross section of the object and is associated with the material from which it is made.
Communication with Newton
In 1672, Isaac Newton became a member of the Royal Society, which Robert Hook had long been a member of. The history of the discovery of cells and his other experiments strengthened the physicist's authority in the eyes of others, but his communication with Newton was intense for many years. Their scientific debates concerned both private issues, for example, the shape of the curve that the falling body describes, as well as fundamental ideas, including the nature of light. Newton believed that light consists of a stream of special particles, which he called light corpuscles. Robert Hook, whose biography at that time included work on the wave nature of light, suggested that it consists of vibrational movements of a transparent medium. So a discussion arose between the particle and wave theory. The argument was so intense that Newton decided not to write about optics until Hooke died.
Plagiarism or simultaneous discovery?
In 1686, another discussion broke out between Newton and Hooke, this time related to the law of universal gravitation. Probably Hook independently came to understand the proportional relationship between the force of gravity and the square of the distance between the bodies, which allowed him to accuse the author of "Beginnings" of plagiarism. A physicist wrote a letter to the Royal Society on this subject. Nevertheless, Newton described this issue in more detail, correctly defined the law of interaction and formulated the most important laws of mechanics. On their basis, he explained planetary motion, ebbs and flows, made many other important discoveries. Hook was too overloaded with work to carefully engage in this particular area. However, one cannot fail to note his deep interest in the problem of gravitation and the series of experiments devoted to it that has been carried out since 1671.
Sunset activities
In the last years of his life, Robert Hook, whose biography is full of major discoveries in many areas, was as active as before. He studied the structure of muscles, trying to create their mechanical models, received a doctorate in medicine, was interested in amber, and lectured, including on the causes of earthquakes. Thus, the sphere of interests of the scientist only expanded over the years, which means that the load also grew. After a terrible fire, most of London was destroyed. The restoration of the city was led by Christopher Wren, an outstanding English architect and close friend of Hooke. Helping him, Hook worked hard for about four years, strikingly paying attention to scientific activity, and leaving only a couple of hours to sleep and rest.
Contribution to the restoration of London
Robert Hooke has a crucial role. Together with Christopher Wren, he redeveloped the area around the London Stock Exchange. With the assistance of Hugh May and Roger Pratt, he made a notable contribution to the architecture of London. Among other things, Hooke and Wren created a project of a monument to the victims of the terrible fire. A thorough project was developed, and in 1677 the world saw an impressive Doric column, the creation of which was used Portland stone. Its top was crowned by a gilded ball with tongues of fire. Initially, Christopher Wren wanted to portray Charles the Second there, to which he objected that he did not take part in the appearance of the fire. The height of the monument is 61 meters and 57 centimeters, exactly as much from the column to the place where the fire started. Hook planned to use the monument as a scientific laboratory for an anti-aircraft telescope and work with a pendulum, but the vibrations created by street traffic prevented such work.
Leaving life
Work on the restoration of London has improved the financial position of the scientist, but adversely affected his health. The busy schedule of the day responded with illness and severe visual impairment. The last invention of the great scientist was a marine barometer. The Royal Society found out about him in February 1701 from the lips of Edmond Halley, who was a close friend of Hooke. Physicist, biologist and natural scientist Robert Hook died March 3, 1703 in his apartment at Greshamov College. One of the most gifted people of those times, he was undeservedly forgotten with the passage of years.
Reasons for oblivion
Hooke's writings on the nature of light and the laws of gravity served as the basis for Isaac Newton's work, but the serious disagreements of the two scientists worsened their relationship. A kind of confrontation began. So, from his "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" Newton removed all references to Hooke's works. In addition, he tried to downplay his contribution to science. As president of the Royal Society, Newton stopped using Hook’s numerous hand-crafted tools, forgot his work, and removed his portrait. The fame of a talented physicist faded. Nevertheless, it is precisely about him that Newton’s famous words were written. In one of his letters, he says that he saw further only because he stood on the shoulders of giants. Indeed, Robert Hook deserves such a name, because he was the greatest scientist, inventor, natural scientist, astronomer and architect of his time.
Interesting facts about the scientist
Hooke's doctors and relatives feared that he would die in infancy. Some claimed that he would not live to be in his twenties. Nevertheless, the physicist lived 68 years, which by the standards of the seventeenth century can be called a very long period. The name "cell", which he proposed for the elementary units of a living organism, is due to the fact that Guku such particles resembled the cells of monks. One of the experiments related to breathing, was almost over for the pundit deplorably. He placed himself in a special sealed apparatus from which air was pumped out, and as a result partially lost his hearing. In addition to the monument, built in collaboration with Wren, buildings such as the Greenwich Observatory and St. Paul's Cathedral were created according to Hooke's designs. You can see these works of the great physicist now.