Micrographia: Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and Inquiries ThereuponHooke, Robert
History
Micrographia: Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and Inquiries Thereupon
Hooke, Robert
Magnifying glasses -- Early works to 1800; Microscopy -- Early works to 1800; Natural history -- Pre-Linnean works
Now, these being the proprieties of every single refracted Ray of light, it
will be easie enough to consider what must be the result of very many such
Rays collateral: As if we suppose infinite such Rays _interjacent_ between
AKSB and ANOB, which are the terminating: For in this case the Ray AKSB
will have its _Red_ triangle intire, as lying next to the dark or quiet
_medium_, but the other side of it BS will have no _Blue_, because the
_medium adjacent_ to it SBO, is mov’d or enlightned, and consequently that
light does destroy the colour. So likewise will the Ray ANOB lose its
_Red_, because the _adjacent medium_ is mov’d or enlightned, but the other
side of the Ray that is _adjacent_ to the dark, namely, AHO will preserve
its _Blue_ entire, and these Rays must be so far produc’d as till AN and BR
cut each other, before there will be any _Green_ produc’d. From these
Proprieties well consider’d, may be deduc’d the reasons of all the
_Phænomena_ of the _prisme_, and of the _Globules_ or drops of Water which
conduce to the production of the Rainbow.
Next for the impression they make on the _Retina_, we will further examine
this _Hypothesis_: Suppose therefore ABCDEF, in the fifth _Figure_, to
represent the Ball of the eye: on the _Cornea_ of which ABC two Rays GACH
and KCAI (which are the terminating Rays of a luminous body) falling, are
by the refraction thereof collected or _converg’d_ into two points at the
bottom of the eye. Now, because these terminating Rays, and all the
_intermediate_ ones which come from any part of the luminous body, are
suppos’d by some sufficient refraction before they enter the eye, to have
their pulses made _oblique_ to their progression, and consequently each Ray
to have potentially _superinduc’d_ two proprieties, or colours, viz. a
_Red_ on the one side, and a _Blue_ on the other, which notwithstanding are
never actually manifest, but when this or that Ray has the one or the other
side of it bordering on a dark or unmov’d _medium_, therefore as soon as
these Rays are entred into the eye and so have one side of each of them
bordering on a dark part of the humours of the eye, they will each of them
actually exhibit some colour; therefore ADC the production of GACH will
exhibit a _Blue_, because the side CD is _adjacent_ to the dark _medium_
CQDC, but nothing of a _Red_, because its side AD is _adjacent_ to the
enlightned _medium_ ADFA: And all the Rays that from the points of the
luminous body are collected on the parts of the _Retina_ between D and F
shall have their _Blue_ so much the more _diluted_ by how much the farther
these points of collection are distant from D towards F; and the Ray AFC
the production of KCAI, will exhibit a _Red_, because the side AF is
adjacent to the dark or quiet _medium_ of the eye APFA, but nothing of a
_Blue_, because its side CF is _adjacent_ to the enlightned _medium_ CFDC,
and all the Rays from the intermediate parts of the luminous body that are
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account