The fabric of life: microscopy in the seventeenth century

Abstract

Based on research into Dutch sources, this text examines the reasons for the microscope's appearance and then eclipse in the 17th century. It looks at the work of five leading microscopists of the period - Robert Hooke, Marcello Malpighi, Jan Swammerdam, Nehemiah Grew, and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek - and locates the answers in the mentalities these men applied to their work. These early scientists are seen as having used their microscopical observations as arguments in favour of mechanical philosophy. With the aid of the microscope, their work led to unexpected discoveries, making the microscope all the rage in some circles but also raising new issues that eventually discouraged the use of the new device.

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