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Sir Christopher Wren: Compleat Philosopher Frank B Sir Christopher Wren: Compleat Philosopher Frank B. Berry, M.D., and Col. H. Stoddert Parker (MC) U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. Doctor (Sir) Christopher Wren, was one of the most many other fields of knowledge, including medicine. extraordinary characters ever known, possessing the extreme¬ In order to assess the full impact that Wren left rare qualification of both and in ly uniting theory practice upon in and the of medi¬ a very eminent degree, being highly accomplished in the society general profession in lived should be consid¬ mathematical and philosophical sciences, as well as in the cine, the age which he theory and practice of architecture. He was born in 1632, ered briefly. It was one filled with a flood of and made great advances in mathematics at 16 years of age. treasures: the flowering of the arts and sciences, of Being an Oxford scholar, he was one of those learned men and of commerce. The who first associated together there for their mutual im¬ exploration, great migration to the New World was and there was provement in natural and experimental philosophy, and underway, which at length produced the Royal Society, of which he increased commerce and exchange of ideas from was an original, and all his life, one of the most distin¬ the Near and Far East as well. Several universities guished members. Soon after the great fire of London had already been founded in the western hemi¬ in 1666, from his skill. in architecture, he succeeded Sir John in the 16th and mid 17th centuries. The Denham in the Office of of the sphere Surveyor-general King's Renaissance had north from and in the Works; and from this time, he had the direction of a great swept Italy, many public edifices, by which he acquired the highest mid 16th century Vesalius had opened the doors to reputation; as in the Theatre of Oxford, St. Paul's Cathedral, scientific and experimental medicine. The religious Churches London, the Monument, the of St. Stephen Wal- wars were over, and the Elizabethan with other churches age brook, St. Mary-le-bow, with upwards of 60 Ben and had which that dreadful fire had rendered necessary; also Marlowe, Johnson, Shakespeare just come an of Chelsea College, one of the wings of Greenwich Hospital, to end. Shortly before the birth Wren, the modern part of Hampton Court, etc. He was one of the William Harvey, who was at the height of his commissioners who, on the motion of Sir Jonas Moore, career in London and the European world, had Surveyor-general of the ordnance, was appointed to find out published his "De Motu Cordis" which revolution¬ a proper place for erecting the National Observatory; and ized medicine. Sir Francis Bacon, scientist and he proposed Greenwich Park, which was approved of; . phi¬ He became architect and commissioner of Chelsea College;. losopher, had recently died, and the whole world also principal officer or comptroller of the works in Windsor was seething with the ferment of discovery and Castle; and he sat twice in Parliament, as a representative new learning. "Galileo had imbued his listeners for two different boroughs. He died in 1723, at 91 years, from every land with an appreciation of and was interred with great solemnity in the Cathedral of experiment on exact as scientific tools."2 his St. Paul's. As to his person, Sir Christopher was of low measurement In stature, and thin frame of body; but by temperance and early years, Wren, because of his own avidity for regularity he enjoyed a good state of health, to a very un¬ mathematics (particularly geometry), must have usual age. In his manners he was modest, devout, virtuous, been influenced Descartes and the iatromathe- communicative his he by and very of knowledge, of which matical school. In his he showed the in¬ possessed an extraordinary fund. Sir Christopher never maturity printed anything himself; but several of his works have been fluence of the iatrochemists. published by others. His drafts and posthumous works In music, there were Vivaldi and Scarlatti in were published by his son.1 Italy; Rameau, Couperin, and Lully in France; Purcell and Locke in and in his later WREN is chief¬ England; quite naturally years, Handel and Bach were in the van¬ famous for his architectural contributions— already CHRISTOPHERly guard of a new era in music. the of St. Paul's and his sur¬ glory Cathedral, London, In literature there were John Milton, John Dry- viving churches and other edifices and his influence den, John Bunyan, Robert Burton, Sir Thomas on ecclesiastical architecture, which with its many Browne, Samuel Pepys, Daniel Defoe, and Izaak fine soon found its into the American spires way Walton as examples in his own country; and dur¬ colonies. Less appreciated are his contributions in ing the latter part of the 17th century and in the Department of Defense (Manpower\p=m-\Healthand Medical). early years of the 18th century Swift, Addison, and Downloaded From: https://jamanetwork.com/ on 10/01/2021 Pope came upon the scene. In France were Moliere, minster School, he was chosen by Dr. ( Sir ) Charles Racine, Fontaine, and Rochefoucauld, with Voltaire Scarburgh as an assistant in demonstrating and in the ascendant during Wren's last years. making anatomical preparations. He also assisted As to statecraft in England, these were the years him with experiments and with making lectures on of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell and anatomy at the Surgeons Hall. During that period then of the restoration with Charles II, James II, he translated into Latin William Oughtred's work William and Mary, and Queen Anne. Other promi¬ on geometrical dialling.3 nent figures were: Sir Henry Vane, at one time the Wren entered Wadham College in Oxford in Royal Governor of the Colony of Massachusetts; 1649 or 1650 and immediately joined the Society of George Fox, the founder of the Quaker faith; Wil¬ Philosophical Inquirers. He graduated with a bach¬ liam who recreated the and Blake, Royal Navy, elor degree in 1650 or 1651 and received his mas¬ Samuel Pepys, who furthered its reconstruction. ter's degree in December, 1653. He became a John Milton was prominent in politics as well as Fellow of All Souls College where he remained and Locke and and literature, Hobbes, philosophers until 1657 engaged in scientific study and ex¬ economists, were actively promulgating their periment. It was during this period that he began theories. his initial experiments with intravenous injections In France, this period fell almost entirely within in animals. Earlier (1653), he had invented a system the reign of Louis XIV with cardinals Richelieu and of double writing with 2 pens (pantographia),** Mazarin as prominent policy makers in the govern¬ and about the same time, he had illustrated Thomas ment. From the architectural side, Mansart rose Willis' book on The Anatomy of the Brain.4 to fame as an architect in the development of a From the standpoint of medicine, Wren's most of since known his name. type roof, by fruitful period extended for a period of perhaps 7 In the fine in Holland this was the of arts, age or 8 years, beginning in 1656 or 1657. His experi¬ and Van followed Rem¬ Hals, Rubens, Dyke, by ments, begun while at Oxford, were continued in brandt, van Ruisdael, and van Steen. Rembrandt London when he succeeded Lawrence Rooke in the and van Steen reflected the interchange of ideas Chair of Astronomy at Gresham in 1657. between medicine and the fine in their College arts paint¬ Here his rooms became the meeting place for men ings. Spinoza was the major figure in philosophy, of science, who subsequently founded the Royal with Pascal in and Leibnitz contemporary France Society in 1663. In 1660-1661, he was elected in Germany. In Spain, under the reigns of Philip IV Savillion Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, and in and V, we find a very apogee in art with Velazquez, 1661 he was given the of D.C.L. and LL.D. and Murillo. degrees Zurbaran, Ribera, by Oxford and Cambridge. He retained this pro¬ As to the scientific world the Galileo and at time, fessorship until 1673 but turned more and more to Descartes have already been mentioned. In Hol¬ architecture. He was considered next to Sir Isaac land, van Leeuwenhoek was well known for his Newton as a scientist. studies as a naturalist and as the inventor of the To go back to his physiological and anatomi¬ microscope. In medicine, DeGraaf was an outstand¬ cal experiments in London, this period he anatomist and in during ing and experimental physiologist, was interested in chemistry and in furthering the the latter part of the 17th century Roerhaave was dissection of animals, especially rabbits, in the fast becoming the most famous physician in Europe. study of the physiology of respiration, and in the In there were father of indus¬ Italy, Ramazzini, study of diseases of cattle. He was also interested trial a well known and medicine, Lancisi, physician in the growth of grains, in the study of seasons, in epidemiologist, and Malpighi, anatomist and the birds and insects, in optics, in the effect of weather first real became a member pathologist. Malpighi on diseases and wounds, in the study of mortality of the Royal Society of London, visited London, tables, and in the incubation of These ob¬ and observations before the eggs. presented Society. servations were not only made by himself, but in a During his long life, Wren was privileged to be communication to the Royal Society about 1664, he a part of that galaxy of the 17th and early 18th recommended that further studies be made in all centuries, and although his greatest contributions of these areas.
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