Robert Hooke, inventor of the vacuum pump and the first altitude chamber (1671).

Full Abstract

Robert Hooke (1635-1703), an assistant researcher to Robert Boyle (1627-1691), invented the first functional British air pump. Applying it to scientific research, Hooke operated the world's first hypobaric chamber in 1671, using it for self-experimentation. He recorded the first physiological observations in an artificial altitude-equivalent environment up to 2400 m. Though Hooke's experiment showed some methodological insufficiencies, his imaginative experimental techniques were remarkable for their time and were indicative of the lively intellectual atmosphere of the Royal Society and the significant contributions of Hooke, who was a member. Two centuries passed before the French physiologist Paul Bert (1830-1886) conducted his famous laboratory-supported investigations of high altitude physiology. Bert played a decisive role in the discovery of the causes of decompression sickness; a contribution Hooke could not make due to the technical deficiencies of the 17th century.

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Author information

Author/s: Harsch, Viktor (V);

Affiliation: History and Archives Committee of the German Aerospace Medical Association (DGLRM), Neubrandenburg, Germany. FUNeubrandenburg(-atsign-)t-online.de

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Biography; Historical Article; Journal Article

Journal: Aviation, space, and environmental medicine (Aviat Space Environ Med), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Aug; vol 77 (issue 8) : pp 867-9

Dates: Created 2006/08/16; Completed 2006/11/30;

PMID: 16909884, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Altitude
Atmosphere Exposure Chambers - history
Atmospheric Pressure
Environment, Controlled

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