Gaspar Schott (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Kaspar'' (or ''Caspar'') ''Schott'';

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

: ''Gaspar Schottus''; 5 February 1608 – 22 May 1666) was a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

and

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosop ...

, specializing in the fields of

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancien ...

, and known for his industry.

Biography

He was born at Bad Königshofen im Grabfeld. It is probable, but not certain, that his early education was at the Jesuit College at Würzburg. In any case, at the age of 19 he joined the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, entering the novitiate at Trier on 30 October 1627. After two years of novitiate training, he matriculated at the University of Würzburg on 6 November 1629 to begin a three-year study of Philosophy, following the normal academic path prescribed for Jesuit seminarians. Owing to the Swedish invasion of Würzburg in October 1631, the Jesuit community fled the city. Schott went, first to the Jesuit seminary of

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Eurome ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, and subsequently, in 1633, to

Caltagirone Caltagirone (; scn, Caltaggiruni ; Latin: ''Calata Hieronis'') is an inland city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, on the island (and region) of Sicily, southern Italy, about southwest of Catania. It is the fifth most populou ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, where he continued his study of Theology. After two years at Caltagirone, he was transferred to

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

for his final year study of Theology after which, in 1637, he was ordained a priest. For the next fifteen years he held a range of teaching and pastoral positions in various Jesuit colleges in Sicily. In 1652, following correspondence with his old mathematics teacher at Würzburg, Fr.

Athanasius Kircher Athanasius Kircher (2 May 1602 – 27 November 1680) was a German Jesuit scholar and polymath who published around 40 major works, most notably in the fields of comparative religion, geology, and medicine. Kircher has been compared to fe ...

, now an internationally acclaimed scholar at the

Collegio Romano The Roman College ( la, Collegium Romanum, it, Collegio Romano) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school t ...

, Schott was transferred to the Collegio to work as Kircher's assistant. He was to spend the next two and a half years assisting Kircher, but also assembling material of his own for which he would later seek a publisher. In 1655 Schott returned to Germany, first to Mainz, and later the same year to

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

where he was to remain until his death. His return to Germany appears to have been partly motivated by the desire of his Jesuit superiors to mollify the

Archbishop-Elector of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The A ...

, Johann von Schönborn, with whom relations had been strained.

Works

Schott was the author of numerous works from the fields of mathematics, physics, and magic. However, those works were mostly compilations of reports, articles or books he read and his own repeated experiments; he did little, if any, original research. Schott is most widely known for his works on hydraulic and mechanical instruments. His treatise on "chronometric marvels" is the first work describing a

universal joint A universal joint (also called a universal coupling or U-joint) is a joint or coupling connecting rigid shafts whose axes are inclined to each other. It is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion. It consists of a pair of hinges ...

and providing the classification of gear teeth. Among his most famous works is the book ''Magia universalis naturæ et artis'' (4 vols., Würtzburg, 1657–1659), filled with many mathematical problems and physical experiments, mostly from the areas of

optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultrav ...

and

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acousticia ...

. His ''Mechanica hydraulica-pneumatica'' (Würtzburg, 1657) contains the first description of von Guericke's

air pump An air pump is a pump for pushing air. Examples include a bicycle pump, pumps that are used to aerate an aquarium or a pond via an airstone; a gas compressor used to power a pneumatic tool, air horn or pipe organ; a bellows used to encourage a ...

. He also published '' Pantometrum Kircherianum'' (Würtzburg, 1660); ''Physica curiosa'' (Würtzburg, 1662), a supplement to the ''Magia universalis''; ''Anatomia physico-hydrostatica fontium et fluminum'' (Würtzburg, 1663), '' Technica Curiosa'' (1664), "Organum Mathematicum" (1668) and several editions of a ''Cursus mathematicus.'' He was also the editor of the ''Itinerarium extaticum'' of

and the ''Amussis Ferdinandea'' of

Albert Curtz Albert Curtz (''Curtius'' in Latin; 1600, Munich – December 19, 1671, Munich), was a German astronomer and member of the Society of Jesus. He expanded on the works of Tycho Brahe and used the pseudonym of ''Lucius Barrettus''. Background The L ...

. * * * * *

In fiction

Gaspar Schott served as an inspiration for the creation of Gaspar Wanderdrossel, one of the main characters of

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel ''The Name of th ...

's novel ''

The Island of the Day Before ''The Island of the Day Before'' ( it, L'isola del giorno prima) is a 1994 historical fiction novel by Umberto Eco set in the 17th century during the historical search for the secret of longitude. The central character is Roberto della Griva, an ...

''.

Linda Hall Library The Linda Hall Library is a privately endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, sitting "majestically on a urban arboretum." It is the "largest independently funded public library of scien ...

* Gaspar Schott (1658
''Magia universalis naturae et artis''
- digital facsimile from the

A selection of high-resolution scans from books by Gaspar Schott
-

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schott, Gaspar 1608 births 1666 deaths 17th-century German scientists Optical physicists 17th-century German mathematicians 17th-century German Jesuits University of Palermo alumni Jesuit scientists People from Bad Königshofen

Biography

Works

In fiction

See also

External links