Giovan Battista della Porta (* 1535 in Neapel; "† 1615 in Neapel) were a neapolitanischer physician, universal scholar and a dramatist.

By its methodology and relative neutrality he is considered as one of the first scientists in the modern sense. 1558 it published the "“Magia naturalis"” (in which it delivered among other things one of the few existing witch ointment prescriptions), it first fame brought and from whom it (falsely) stated, it during the drawing up only fifteen years was old. A society for the study of nature, the Academia Secretorum Naturae, created by it 1560 in Neapel, had to be dissolved on instruction of the Pope again. Its fundamental writing over cryptology with the title De furtivis literarum notis (notes on hidden letters), which it 1563 published, made it finally famous. Around 1570 it invented the Camera obscura, an early forerunner of the movie camera.

Those in each case 1583 and/or 1584 published Pomarium (over cultivation of fruit) as well as Olivetum (over cultivation of olive) flowed into its more comprehensive work over agriculture, Villae from 1592. Before however, 1586, appeared its second Hauptwerk, a medical work under the title De humana physiognomia, 1588 followed by a work over the Physionomie of the plants, "“Phytognomonica"”. Its occupation with magic and Physionomie led 1592 to it that it before the Inquisition had to answer for itself, the procedure remained however for it without consequences. In the years after he withdrew however caution for the sake of of the sciences and turned to the dramatic literature. Its comedy La Trappolaria, one of many successful dramatic works, appeared 1596 in Bergamo.

Works

• "“Magiae naturalis sive de miraculis rerum naturalium"”, 1558 (Alchemie)
• "“De furtivis literarum notis"”, 1563 (cryptology)
• "“De humana physiognomia"”, 1586 (medicine)
• "“Phytognomonica"”, 1588, (Botanik)
• "“Villae"”, 1592, (agriculture)
• "“La Trappolaria"”, 1596 on-line ones (ital.) (literature)
• "“De telescopio"”, 1962 (posthum)

Literature

• Hilke cutter: Physiognomische type in Giambattista Della Portas work "“De Humana Physiognomia"” with modern computer-aided Kephalometrischen procedure 2003 resources analyze
• Laura Balbiani: La magia naturalis di Giovan Battista della Porta: lingua, cultura e scienza in Europe all'inizio moderna. Berne; Berlin; Bruxelles; Frankfurt A.M. ; New York; Oxford; Vienna: Long, 2001 (IRIS; Bd. 17). - Zugl.: Milano, Univ., Diss., 1999. - ISBN 3-906767-22-1

Related links

• Detailed biography (English)
• Biography (English)

Articles in category "Giambattista della Porta"

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