104 THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE 



Dr. Wilkins, the brother-in-law of Cromwell, who 

 is regarded by some as the founder of the Royal 

 Society, removed to Oxford, as Warden of Wadham, 

 in 1649. Here he held meetings and conducted ex- 

 periments in conjunction with Wallis, Goddard, 

 Petty, Boyle, and others, including Ward (afterwards 

 Bishop of Salisbury) interested in Bulliau's Astron- 

 omy ; and the celebrated physician and anatomist, 

 Thomas Willis, author of a work on the brain (C7e- 

 rebri Anatome), and another on fevers (JDe Febri- 

 6ws), in which he described epidemic typhoid as it 

 occurred during the Civil War in 1643. 



In the mean time the weekly meetings in London 

 continued, and were attended when convenient by 

 members of the Oxford group. At Gresham College 

 by 1558 it was the custom to remain for discussion 

 Wednesdays and Thursdays after Mr. Wren's lecture 

 and Mr. Rooke's. During the unsettled state of the 

 country after Cromwell's death there was some inter- 

 ruption of the meetings, but with the accession of 

 Charles II in 1660 there came a greater sense of 

 security. New names appear on the records, Lord 

 Brouncker, Sir Robert Moray, John Evelyn, Brere- 

 ton, Ball, Robert Hooke, and Abraham Cowley. 



Plans were discussed for a more permanent form 

 of organization, especially on November 28, 1660, 

 when something was said of a design to found a 

 college for the promotion of physico-mathematical 

 experimental learning. A few months later was pub- 

 lished Cowley's proposition for an endowed college 

 with twenty professors, four of whom should be 

 constantly traveling in the interests of science. The 

 sixteen resident professors " should be bound to study 



