Giambattista Pianciani

Giambattista Pianciani, also called Giovanni Battista Pianciani, was an Italian Jesuit scientist, born in Spoleto on 27 October 1784 and died in Rome on 23 March 1862. He entered the Society of Jesus on 2 June 1805, and after the ordinary Jesuit training he was sent to cities of the Papal States to teach mathematics and physics, and finally became a professor at the Roman College, where he lectured and wrote on scientific subjects for twenty-four years. He belonged to the Accademia d Arcadia, the Accademia dei Lincei and other learned societies. The Revolution of 1848 ended his scientific work and he fled Rome, spending a year teaching dogmatic theology at the Jesuit theologate connected with Georgetown College. Returning to Rome, he taught philosophy at the Roman College and at the Collegio Filosofico of the University of Rome, of which he was president in his last two years. His works include a four volume Istituzioni fisico-chimiche of 1833 and 1834 and a two volume Elementi di fisico-chimica of 1840 and 1841.