The Royal Society

In November 1660, a group of scientists in London decided to form a new scientific society. They wanted to improve the scientific study of nature through experiments and sharing ideas. The result was the formation of the Royal Society. The Royal Society helped to spread new scientific ideas, including in medicine.

Click on the images to find out more about the factors that helped the Royal Society promote new scientific ideas

Royal Patronage
The Scientific Revolution
The Spread of Knowledge

Answer these Questions:

  1. How important was Charles II's interest in science in helping the Royal Society to promote new ideas?
  2. What were the principles of the 'Scientific Revolution'? Why do you think that doctors and surgeons who had served in the Civil Wars were inspired by these principles?
  3. Carry out your own research online to find out more about Robert Boyle's experiments. Imagine that you are a seventeenth-century newspaper reporter and write a report about one of Boyle's experiments.