Page:The Hunterian oration, delivered before the Royal College of Surgeons in London, on the fourteenth day of February, 1821 (electronic resource) (IA b21483851).pdf/31

 the purpose of explaining any branch of natural philosophy, and who, therefore, insisted on the necessity for observation and experiment, as the only basis of true science. To the influence of his irresistible arguments, we owe the diffusion of that spirit which led to the foundation of the Royal Society, and other institutions of a similar nature. The sublime discoveries of Newton followed, disclosing the universal laws of matter. A vernal and reviving warmth breathed over the frozen hills of science, and unlocked their ample stores. Every branch of natural philosophy received a new and efficient impulse. Experiment and discovery went on every where. Anatomical knowledge received the most important additions.