ABSTRACT
Microscopes together with other optical instruments played a significant role in the evolution of seventeenth-century science. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was able to state the main optical theorems in 1611, and knowledge of the refractive power of lenses of various shape and curvature was acquired both by a priori methods-notably by René Descartes (1596-1650)—and by experimentation. Optical instruments lost their association with natural magic: those instruments that improved normal human vision or that compensated for its deficiencies (telescopes, microscopes, eyeglasses) came to be distinguished from other devices for the creation of multiple or distorted mages. Although the mere creation of a novel visual display at times seems to be the only aim of early microscopy, microscopes acquired a recognized role in knowledge acquisition, along with other machines and instruments of the Scientific Revolution.
