From 1675 onwards physics at Leiden University was taught on the basis of experiments, a first in Europe. The most famous professor was Willem Jacob ’s Gravesande, the apostle of Newton. He designed many instruments, wich he described and illustrated in his textbook. Between 1675 and 1750 the bulk of the instruments in the Leiden Cabinet of Physics were manufactured by the Van Musschenbroek family of instruments-makers.
