Hooke
was an English experimental physicist, but his
versatility led him into several fields. He was the
first to state clearly that the motion of heavenly
bodies must be regarded as a mathematical problem and
he approached in a remarkable manner the discovery of
universal gravitation.
He conferred the name "cell" on the units of plant
structure. This has been retained although used in a
sense different from what Hooke intended. He used a
"magnifying glass to examine everything he could lay
his hands on," and wrote a large book called
Micrographia (1665). He first recognized that
charcoal, cork, and plant tissues were "all perforated
and porous, much like a honeycomb." To these pores he
gave the name cells but the cell walls were not
considered constituent parts of the cells. He stated
"for in several of these vegetables whilst green, I
have with my microscope plainly enough discovered
these cells filled with juices, and by degrees
sweating them out." He was interested in "slicing up
indiscriminately animal and plant tissues and studying
their structures with the aid of his new toy."
Hooke had a strong temper and made virulent attacks
on Newton and other scientists claiming that their
published work was due to him.
