Micrographia
Micrographia is a historically significant book by Robert Hooke about his observations through various lenses. It is particularly notable for being the first book to illustrate insects, plants etc. as seen through microscopes. Published in January 1665, the first major publication of the Royal Society, it became the first scientific best-seller, inspiring a wide public interest in the new science of microscopy. It is also notable for coining the biological term cell.
Observations
Hooke most famously describes a fly's eye and a plant cell (where he coined that term because plant cells, which are walled, reminded him of the cells in a honeycomb). Known for its spectacular copperplate engravings of the miniature world, particularly its fold-out plates of insects, the text itself reinforces the tremendous power of the new microscope. The plates of insects fold out to be larger than the large folio itself, the engraving of the louse in particular folding out to four times the size of the book. Although the book is best known for demonstrating the power of the microscope, Micrographia also describes distant planetary bodies, the wave theory of light, the organic origin of fossils, and other philosophical and scientific interests of its author.
Micrographia (handwriting)
Micrographia is an acquired disorder where there is abnormally small, cramped handwriting, or the progression to continually smaller handwriting. It is commonly associated with neurodegenerative disorders of the basal ganglia, such as in Parkinson's disease, but it has also been described in subcortical focal lesions. O'Sullivan and Schmitz describe it as an abnormally small handwriting that is difficult to read, as seen in the photo to the right. Micrographia is also seen in patients with Wilson's disease and Metamorphopsia, or with isolated focal lesions of the midbrain or basal ganglia.
Parkinson's disease
A common feature of Parkinson's disease (PD) is to have difficulty in routine activities due to lack of overall control of movement. More specifically, patients have difficulty maintaining the scale of movements and have reduced amplitude of movement; also known as hypokinesia. These difficulties with scaling and controlling the amplitude of movement cause patients with PD to have difficulty with complex, sequential movements. This helps to explain why micrographia is a common sign and symptom of the disease. Another reason is a lack of physical dexterity.
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Micrographia
ALBUMS
- Everything Will Turn To Heat released: 2005
- Micrographia released: 2004
