Hooke. Micrographia.

Robert Hooke. Micrographia, or   Some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses. London: John Martyn and James Allestry, printers to the Royal Society, 1665.

Micrographia is the most famous publication of Robert Hooke, another prominent member of the Royal Society. It contains fifty-seven microscopic and three telescopic observations, made with a compound microscope constructed by Hooke. The observations begin with non­organic materials, such as woven cloth, frozen urine crystals, and then proceed to living organisms. They include the first studies of insect anatomy, namely the compound eye of the fly, and the wings and stings of bees. Other subjects investigated are fish scales, feathers of birds, etc. Among the most famous illustrations are those of the flea and louse. Hooke also examined the structure of various molds, and the honeycomb composition of cork, which he called “cellulae” – the first use of the term “cell”.