Science 193

chronicles.1215 Skinner casts doubt upon the notion that from
the first the Society specialized in 'real' scientists: he shows
that Hobbes was excluded on personal grounds, not because
he practised the wrong discipline.121*

Quite apart from the Royal Society, the seventeenth cen-
tury witnessed the first appearance of the great man of science
in England. Boas writes an important book on Robert Boyle,
universal genius and father of chemistry.1217 'Espinasse offers a
book that is nearly as good on the versatile Robert Hooke.1218
Much less impressive is a little book on the leading astronomer
Halley.1219 William Harvey, discoverer of the major circula-
tion of the blood, receives a large and solid volume which in
great part assembles the fruits of bibliographical research;1220
his anatomical lectures have been magnificently edited with a
translation (very necessary).1221 As was said above (n. 340),
Hill has provoked a major discussion of the question whether
this increasing activity had anything to do with political and
more generally intellectual events. Not only have his re-
viewers undermined a thesis erected on some provisional work
done in the 1930'$, but Greaves and Shapiro, who both en-
deavour to rescue something of the thesis by showing that
such links as there wrere had nothing to do with the puritanism
which Hill advanced by way of explanation, make one even

1215 Margery Purver, The Royal Society: concept and creation. "L: Rout-
ledge: 1967. Pp xviii, 246. Rev: EHR 83, 568ff.; Hist&y of Science
6, io6ff. (highly critical).

181« Quentin Skinner, 'Thomas Hobbes and the nature of the early
Royal Society*, HJ 12 (1969), 217-39,

121? Marie Boas, Robert Boyle and iftfi Century Chemistry* CUP: 1958.
Pp. viii, 240.

ms Margaret P. M. 'Espinasse, Robert Hooke* L: Heinemann: 1956.
Pp. vii, 192.

mf Angus Armytage, Edmond H&ttej. Edinburgh: Nelson: 1960. Pp.
xii, 220.

im Geoffrey Keynes, The Life of William Hervej. O: Clarendon:
1966, Pp. xviii, 433. Rev: Hist 52, 328^

im Gweneth Whitteridge* ed., The Anatomical Lectures &f William
Harvey: Prelectiones Anatomie Urdvtrsalis De Musadis. Edinburgh:
Livingstone (for Royal College of Physicians): 1964. Pj>. Ixvi, 504.
Rev: EHR So, 837^; Historj of Science 4,