Athanasius Kircher, German Jesuit Scholar
Athanasius Kircher (May 2, 1601 or 1602 -November 27 or 28, 1680) (master of a hundred arts) was a German Jesuit scholar celebrated for the versatility of his knowledge and particularly distinguished for his knowledge of the natural sciences, most notably in the fields of oriental studies, geology, and medicine. His "Mundus Subterraneus" enjoyed the greatest repute in his time; not only did it give an incentive to the more searching investigation of subterranean forces, but it contributed much to their final explanation. He was the first people to observe microbes through a microscope, he was thus ahead of his time in proposing that the plague was caused by an infectious microorganism and in suggesting effective measures to prevent the spread of the disease. He also displayed an interest in technology and mechanical inventions, Inventions attributed to him include a magnetic clock, various automatons and the first megaphone. Kircher was one of the scientific stars of the world. His importance was twofold: to the results of his own experiments and research he added information gleaned from his correspondence with over 760 scientists, physicians and above all his fellow Jesuits in all parts of the globe. Towards the end of his life he was eclipsed by the rationalism of Ren̩ Descartes and others. He died in 1680 at the age of 78 or 79.
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