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The history of the development of optics was studied during a sabbatical in Great Britain. Such a study can effectively be undertaken there because many of the advances in optics were undertaken by Britons and most of the remainder was rapidly communicated to the Royal Society. Stonehenge, built some 4000 years ago, has recently been shown to have had significance as a device to measure and predict astronomical events. Evidence of the Arabic advancement of Greek science can be gained from a study of manuscripts kept in Great Britain. Many of the optical instruments used in the Renaissance and before, as aids to navigation, telling of time, etc., are kept in museums there. Many examples of telescopes and microscopes, reflecting the craftsmanship of seventeenth and eighteenth century artisans, were examined. Instruments indicating the broadened aspects of optics were also studied, including spectroscopes, cameras, photometers, and radiometers. The homes of a number of optical scientists were visited to gain an added insight into their lives. Libraries also afforded an aid in this by preserving letters as well as the volumes owned by these scientists. Contemporary optics in Great Britain reflects diversity of activity that carries through from the historical perspective.
© 1965 Optical Society of America
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