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
To proceed therefore; I suppose, that all transparent colour’d bodies,
whether fluid or solid, do consist at least of two parts, or two kinds of
substances, the one of a substance of a somewhat differing _refraction_
from the other. That one of these substances which may be call’d the
_tinging_ substance, does consist of distinct parts, or particles of a
determinate bigness which are _disseminated_, or dispers’d all over the
other: That these particles, if the body be equally and uniformly colour’d,
are evenly rang’d and dispers’d over the other contiguous body; That where
the body is deepest ting’d, there these particles are rang’d thickest, and
where ’tis but faintly ting’d, they are rang’d much thinner, but uniformly.
That by the mixture of another body that unites with either of these, which
has a differing refraction from either of the other, quite differing
effects will be produc’d, that is, the _consecutions_ of the confus’d
pulses will be much of another kind, and consequently produce other
_sensations_ and _phantasms_ of colours, and from a _Red_ may turn to a
_Blue_, or from a _Blue_ to a _Red_, &c.
Now, that this may be the better understood, I shall endeavour to explain
my meaning a little more sensible by a _Scheme_: Suppose we therefore in
the seventh _Figure_ of the sixth _Scheme_, that ABCD represents a Vessel
holding a ting’d liquor, let IIIII, &c. be the clear liquor, and let the
tinging body that is mixt with it be EE, &c. FF, &c. GG, &c. HH, &c. whose
particles (whether round, or some other determinate Figure is little to our
purpose) are first of a determinate and equal bulk. Next, they are rang’d
into the form of _Quincunx_, or _Equilaterotriangular_ order, which that
probably they are so, and why they are so, I shall elsewhere endeavour to
shew. Thirdly, they are of such a nature, as does either more easily or
more difficultly transmit the Rays of light then the liquor; if more
easily, a _Blue_ is generated, and if more difficultly, a _Red_ or
_Scarlet_.
And first, let us suppose the tinging particles to be of a substance that
does more _impede_ the Rays of light, we shall find that the pulse or wave
of light mov’d from AD to BC, will proceed on, through the containing
_medium_ by the pulses or waves KK, LL, MM, NN, OO; but because several of
these Rays that go to the constitution of these pulses will be slugged or
stopped by the tinging particles E, F, G, H; therefore there shall be
_secundary_ and weak pulse that shall follow the Ray, namely PP which will
be the weaker: first, because it has suffer’d many refractions in the
impeding body; next, for that the Rays will be a little dispers’d or
confus’d by reason of the refraction in each of the particles, whether
_round_ or _angular_; and this will be more evident, if we a little more
closely examine any one particular tinging _Globule_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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