Thomas Hood (1556–1620) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

and

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

, the first lecturer in mathematics appointed in England, a few years before the founding of

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ove ...

. He publicized the

Copernican theory Copernican heliocentrism is the astronomical model developed by Nicolaus Copernicus and published in 1543. This model positioned the Sun at the center of the Universe, motionless, with Earth and the other planets orbiting around it in circular pa ...

, and discussed the nova

SN 1572 SN 1572 ('' Tycho's Supernova'', ''Tycho's Nova''), or B Cassiopeiae (B Cas), was a supernova of Type Ia in the constellation Cassiopeia, one of eight supernovae visible to the naked eye in historical records. It appeared in early November 1572 ...

. (Tycho's Nova). He also innovated in the design of mathematical and astronomical instruments.

Life

He entered

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

in 1573, and graduated B.A. in 1578; he was elected to a fellowship in the same year, and graduated M.A. in 1581. His Cambridge licence to practice as a physician was from 1585. He was approached to lecture in mathematics in 1582, by the merchant

Thomas Smythe Sir Thomas Smythe (or Smith, c. 1558 – 4 September 1625) was an English merchant, politician and colonial administrator. He was the first governor of the East India Company and treasurer of the Virginia Company from 1609 to 1620 until envel ...

. The lectures in fact began in 1588.

W. W. Rouse Ball Walter William Rouse Ball (14 August 1850 – 4 April 1925), known as W. W. Rouse Ball, was a British mathematician, lawyer, and fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1878 to 1905. He was also a keen amateur magician, and the founding ...

, ''A History of the Study of Mathematics at Cambridge'' (1889), pp. 23-4. He lectured from 1588 to 1592. The applications in view were military (intended for Captains of train bands, in other words for militia commanders at the time of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

), and subsequently aimed at naval needs and navigation. The first lectures were in the Staples Inn Chapel, but the regular venue became Smythe's London house,

Leadenhall Leadenhall Market is a covered market in London, located on Gracechurch Street but with vehicular access also available via Whittington Avenue to the north and Lime Street to the south and east, and additional pedestrian access via a number of ...

in Gracechurch Street. Other supporters of the lectures were Sir John Wolstenholme and

John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, KB (c. 1533 – 1609) was an English aristocrat, who is remembered as one of the greatest collectors of art and books of his age. Early life John Lumley, born about 1533, was the grandson and heir of John, ...

; Hood was a subscriber in 1589 to the

Virginia Company The Virginia Company was an English trading company chartered by King James I on 10 April 1606 with the object of colonizing the eastern coast of America. The coast was named Virginia, after Elizabeth I, and it stretched from present-day Main ...

, with which his merchant backers were associated. Hood's original publications were probably derived from notes of the talks. He collaborated with the engraver

Augustine Ryther Augustine Ryther (died 1593) was an English engraver and translator. He engraved some of Christopher Saxton's maps of English counties. He also made scientific instruments. Works Ryther was associated with engraving maps of the counties of Englan ...

on both celestial and terrestrial charts. In later life he lived in Abchurch Lane, London, practiced as a physician, and sold copies of his hemisphere charts.

Works

*''A Copie of the Speache ...'' (1588) *''The Use of the Celestial Globe in Plano, set forth in two hemispheres'' (1590) *''The Use of Jacobs Staffe'' *''Making and Use of the Sector'' *''Elementes of Geometrie'' (1590), translated from the Latin of

Petrus Ramus Petrus Ramus (french: Pierre de La Ramée; Anglicized as Peter Ramus ; 1515 – 26 August 1572) was a French humanist, logician, and educational reformer. A Protestant convert, he was a victim of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. Early life ...

, ''Geometriae Septem Et Viginti'' *A translation of the arithmetic of

Christian Wursteisen Christian Wurstisen ( la, Christianus Urstisius) (23 December 1544 – 29 March 1588) was a mathematician, theologician, historian from Basel. His name is also given as ''Wursteisen, Wurzticius, Ursticius, Urstisius'', or ''Urstis''. Life I ...

(1596) *Work on surveying (1598).

Notes

External links

Felice Stoppa in Atlas Coelestis:''Thomas Hood, The Use of the Celestial Globe in Plano, set forth in two Hemispheres.., Imprinted for Thobie Cooke at London, 1590'' Stephen Johnston, ''The astrological instruments of Thomas Hood''Nicolàs de Hilster, ''1590 Master Hood's cross-staff (reconstruction)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hood, Thomas 17th-century English astronomers 16th-century English mathematicians 17th-century English mathematicians 1556 births 1620 deaths 16th-century English medical doctors 17th-century English medical doctors People of the Elizabethan era Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge 16th-century English astronomers

Life

Works

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links