Gaspar Schott

Gaspar Schott, who lived from 1608 to 1666, was a German Jesuit and scientist who specialised in physics, mathematics and natural philosophy and was known for his industry. Born at Bad Königshofen im Grabfeld, he joined the Society of Jesus at nineteen, studied philosophy at the University of Würzburg, took his theology in Sicily, was ordained a priest in 1637 and then taught in Jesuit colleges there for fifteen years. In 1652 he went to the Collegio Romano as assistant to Athanasius Kircher and in 1655 returned to Würzburg, where he remained until his death. He wrote numerous works on mathematics, physics and magic, mostly compilations of reports and his own repeated experiments, and is best known for his writing on hydraulic and mechanical instruments, among them the first description of a universal joint and the Mechanica hydraulica-pneumatica of 1657, which contains the first description of von Guericke's air pump, and the Magia universalis naturae et artis.