If we followed Swift and Shadwell in thinking of Hooke as the archetype of the unworldly scholar, fiddling about in his laboratory on projects which never had the slightest chance of doing any good to anyone, we would be utterly misunderstanding Hooke’s life and work. More than any other scientist of his day, except perhaps Wren, Hooke turned his skills to practical ends, directing the rebuilding of the centre of one of Europe’s greatest cities, designing and constructing colleges, hospitals, churches, suburban mansions and West End town houses, and discovering and publicizing a range of
...more
