Saunderson, Nicholas (1682-1739)

Professor Saunderson's Hydrostaticks and Opticks. Mr. Wrigley's lectures on Natural Philosophy. Illustrated with 6 folding plates containing pen-drawn figures, etc. Ff. 1-32. Hydrostaticks. 33-68. Opticks. 69-110. Natural Philosophy. The name of the author of the last sections seems to have been written originally as 'Rigley', the 'W' is a later addition. He can be identified as Henry Wrigley [1698-1766], a Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, and later Rector of Cockton. Produced in Cambridge.

c. 1725

1 volume 110 ff. + 7 ll. 4to. 241/2 × 19 cm. Original vellum binding. Some leaves have been torn out before the beginning of the text, and the lower halves of ff. 52, 110 and the last leaf have been cut out. Written on the rectos only.

Purchased 1930.

Saunderson, a follower of Newton, succeeded William Whiston [1667-1752] who had been banished for heresy in 1710, as third Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. He had lost his sight at the age of one year from small-pox, but in spite of this was a brilliant mathematician who had won the regard of Newton [see the Dictionary of National Biography].

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).