Gaspar Schott (1608-1666)
Herbipoli : Sumptibus Wolfgangi Mauritii Endteri, excudebat Jobus Hertz ..., 1687
Rare Book Collections, General 88A402
German Jesuit scientist and teacher Gaspar Schott was for a time assistant to Athanasius Kircher, S.J. at the Collegio Romano, and often stands in Kircher’s shadow. However, Schott was a prolific author in his own right. Much of his work consists of compilations of the research, scientific work and explorations of others. Figure 11, opposite page 39 of Technica curiosa, illustrates the Magdeburg hemispheres experiment in 1654, when mayor of Magdeburg Otto Von Guericke demonstrated the effects of a vacuum and atmospheric pressure by putting two copper hemispheres together, evacuating the air inside, and then attempting to pull the hemispheres apart.