Gaspar Schott

Caspar Schott SJ, and Gaspar Schott or Kaspar Schott ( born February 5, 1608 Königshofen, † May 22, 1666 in Würzburg ) was a science writer and educator of the Baroque period.

Life and work

Schott attended the Jesuit school in Würzburg in 1627 and entered the Order in itself. During his studies in Würzburg he learned Athanasius Kircher know. 1631 the Jesuits fled before the approaching Swedish army. Schott was sent by the Order to Palermo to complete his studies. He stayed 20 years in Sicily as a teacher of mathematics, philosophy, moral theology at the Jesuit school in Palermo. 1652 sent him the Order to Rome as support for the scientific work of Kircher. He decided to publish Kircher's work. In 1655, he returned as Professor in the Würzburg school, where in his life he taught mathematics and physics. He was Hofmathematker and confessor of the Elector Johann Philipp von Schönborn.

As a constant admirer and employees of the polymath Athanasius Kircher, he published numerous works, which in part is directly based on the material of his teacher. His only Latin scripts not based on our own knowledge, but always refer to his idol. The close cooperation with Kircher is reflected in the re-use of illustrations from his works.

He entered with leading scientists in letter contact, including Otto von Guericke, Christiaan Huygens, Robert Boyle. In 1655 he was commissioned by Johann Philipp von Schönborn, the Archbishop of Mainz and the Bishop of Würzburg, was the von Guericke at the Diet of Regensburg in 1654 featured air pumps that had bought Schönborn after the screening. Schott they presented the scholarly world in Appendix Experimentum novelty Magdeburgicum to his first publication of the work of Kircher Mechanica hydraulico - pneumatica 1657 before. Participated in a second publication Technica curiosa Guericke itself and with it, new experiments with the air pump made ​​known. In the preface to this work Schott wrote: "I have no hesitation to admit it honestly and confidently that I have ever seen in this kind nor heard Bewundernswerteres, nor read, 've presented and thought to myself, and I believe that under the sun like never before - let alone more wonderful things have been seen from the beginning of the world This is also the judgment of the great princes and the most learned men, which I have made so famous. ". Guericke's Experimenta Nova own work Magdeburgica de vacuo spatio was not published until 1672. Bulkhead contemporaries appreciate his books very much. Thus Robert Boyle, for example, stimulated due to the 1664 published Technica Curiosa to his experiments on the elasticity of air, which in turn results Schott published. The first time appearing in the above title term " technology" was probably invented by Schott, in word alignment with " physics " even.

In the posthumously published work Organum mathematicum he describes the computational box Cistula invented by him, with which you can multiply and divide.

Schott and his mentor Athanasius Kircher are the model for the Jesuit Father Caspar Robin in Umberto Eco's The Island of the previous day.

Works (selection)

  • Mechanica hydraulico - pneumatica. Good weather, Frankfurt am Main 1657th
  • Magia universalis naturae et artis. 4 volumes ( Optica; Acoustica; Thaumaturgus Mathematicus; Thaumaturgus Physicus ) Good weather, Frankfurt 1657-59 [ 1658/59 ]. German Bamberg 1671st
  • Cursus mathematicus. Good weather, Würzburg [ Herbipoli ] 1661.
  • Physica curiosa, sive naturae et artis mirabilia libris XII. Endterus, Nuremberg in 1662.
  • Anatomia physico- hydrostatica fontium ac fluminum. Good weather, Frankfurt 1663rd
  • Arithmetica practica generalis ac specialis. Good weather, Frankfurt 1663rd
  • Joco - seriorum naturae et artis, immersive magiae naturalis centuriae tres. Nuremberg 1664th
  • Technica curiosa, sive mirabilia artis. Endterus, Nuremberg 1664
  • Organum mathematicum libris IX. explicatum. . Würzburg 1668 Digitized: Organum Mathematicum. Herbipoli [ Würzburg ] 1668, online edition of the Saxon State Library - State and University Library Dresden
  • Magia optica, which is secret but natural periodic face and eye - teaching. Franckfurt at Mayn 1677, online edition of the Saxon State Library - State and University Library Dresden
  • Magia optica, The Secret is but natural periodic face and eye - Lehr, 1671, e-book of the Vienna University Library (eBooks on Demand)
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