Thomas Hood (1556 – 1620) was an English

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, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

and

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

, 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 that does not accept students or award degrees. It was founded in 1597 under the Will (law), will of Sir Thomas Gresham, ...

. He publicized the Copernican theory, and discussed the nova

SN 1572 SN 1572 ('' Tycho's Star'', ''Tycho's Nova'', ''Tycho's Supernova''), 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 e ...

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

Life

He entered

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

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 envelo ...

. 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 (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

), 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 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 objective of colonizing the eastern coast of America. The coast was named Virginia, after Elizabeth I, and it stretched from present-day ...

, 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 (; 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 He was born at the village ...

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