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Achilles Gasser

German physician and astrologer (1505–1577) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Achilles Gasser
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Achilles Pirmin Gasser[1] (3 November 1505 – 4 December 1577)[2] was a German physician and astrologer. He is now known as a well-connected humanistic scholar, and supporter of both Copernicus and Rheticus.

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Life

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Born in Lindau, he studied mathematics, history, and philosophy, as well as astronomy.[3] He was a student in Sélestat under Johannes Sapidus [it];[4] he also attended universities in Wittenberg, Vienna, Montpellier, and Avignon.[5]

In 1528, German cartographer Sebastian Münster appealed to scientists across the Holy Roman Empire[6] to assist him with his description of Germany. Gassar accepted this and was later recognized by Münster as a close collaborator for his cartography of the country.[7]

Rheticus lost his physician father Georg Iserin in 1528 when he was executed on sorcery charges. Gasser later took over the practice in Feldkirch, in 1538; he taught Rheticus some astrology, and helped his education, in particular by writing to the University of Wittenberg on his behalf.[5][8][9]

When Rheticus printed his Narratio prima—the first published account of the Copernican heliocentric system—in 1540 (Danzig), he sent Gasser a copy. Gasser then undertook a second edition (1541, Basel) with his own introduction[10] in the form of a letter from Gasser to Georg Vogelin of Konstanz.[5] The second edition (1566, Basel) of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium contained the Narratio Prima with this introduction by Gasser.[11]

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Works

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Title page of the De magnete in the 1558 edition by Gasser

He prepared the first edition (Augsburg, 1558) of the Epistola de magnete of Pierre de Maricourt.[3][12]

Other works include:

  • Historiarum et Chronicorum totius mundi epitome (1532)
  • Prognosticon (1544) dedicated to Thomas Venatorius [de][13]
  • Edition of the Evangelienbuch of Otfried of Weissenburg. His edition did not appear until 1571, under the name of Matthias Flacius who had taken over.[14]
  • Observations on comets[15]

Gasser belonged with Flacius to the humanist circle around Kaspar von Niedbruck [de], concerned with the recovery of monastic manuscripts. Others in the group were John Bale, Conrad Gesner, Joris Cassander, Johannes Matalius Metellus, and Cornelius Wauters.[16]

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Notes

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Further reading

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