John Woodward (naturalist)

John Woodward (naturalist)

John Woodward (1 May 1665 – 25 April 1728) was an English naturalist, antiquarian and geologist, and founder by bequest of the Woodwardian Professorship of Geology at Cambridge University. As a leading physician who had never been to university, Woodward was a leading figure on the "Modern" side in the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns in early 18th century England, on the medical and other fronts. Though a leading English supporter of the importance of observation and experiment in what we now call science, none of his numerous new theories have stood the test of time.