[Jonathan Goddard (1617-1675), chemistry, medicine and the Royal Society]

Dr. Jonathan Goddard can be considered one of the most active natural philosophers of the Royal Sociaty for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge in London from its start in 1660 until Goddard's death in 1675. Already before the foundation of the Society Goddard was a prominent member of experimental groups. He was everywhere where the new philosophy had been developed and promoted and he was willing to do any curious experiment. Therefore we can consider Goddard as an example of the large group of minor natural philosophers and virtuosi. His activities give us a glimpse of the ideas of a group whose opinions and experiments served as a basis for the inventions and insights of the well known natural philosophers. The experiments Goddard and his colleagues did, show that the physicians of the Royal Society in the first place were investigating the essences of natural substances. The notions spirits and 'natural circulation' were central preoccupations. To know their working meant insight in the function of the human body. Chemistry was seen as an essential mean to gain insight into natural processes. It offered a theory of life and action and it provided the necessary equipment to separate pure principles and to distill spirits. Moreover, the human body itself was seen as a chemical laboratory. It was thought that the physician is only able to master this laboratory and to repair its defects when he knows everything about its working. Therefore physicians in the first place were busy finding out everything about pure principles. Only then they thought it possible to develop cures to restore balances and processes in the human body.