Beringer's Lying Stones

John Bartholomew Adam Beringer (* 1670, † 1738) was a German professor of medicine in Würzburg and physician to the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.

Life

He was since 14 December 1694 to his death in 1738 professor of medicine, professor of Zootomie and dean at the University of Würzburg. His life and his scoring to the early Enlightenment life's work is overshadowed by his published by pictures Würzburg lies stones in Lithographia Wirceburgensis (Würzburg in 1726, with a new title page 1767).

Beringer found in 1726 it caused a work entitled in a sand pit around several fossils: ducentis lapidum figuratorum a potiori insectiformium prodigiosis imaginibus exornatae specime issue Lithographiae Wirceburgensis. The Fund, however, it was a prank by students have been played, because the fossils which held Beringer for real, had been made ​​by a stonemason and buried at the site. Beringer admitted later his deception. Since then the scientific community, the phrase, "It's him gone as ringers " or " It's been gone many as Beringer " for the proverbial meaning: ". , He has been cheated "