Rasmus Bartholin was a
DanishDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
scientist and physician. As part of his studies, he travelled in Europe for ten years. Professor at the
University of CopenhagenThe University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, first in Geometry, later in Medicine. He was a younger brother of
Thomas Bartholin.
Rasmus Bartholin is remembered especially for his discovery (1669) of the
double refractionBirefringence, or double refraction, is the decomposition of a ray of light into two rays when it passes through certain anisotropic materials, such as crystals of calcite or boron nitride. The effect was first described by the Danish scientist Rasmus Bartholin in 1669, who saw it in calcite...
of a light ray by
Iceland sparIceland spar, formerly known as Iceland crystal, is a transparent variety of calcite, or crystallized calcium carbonate, originally brought from Iceland, and used in demonstrating the polarization of light . It occurs in large readily cleavable crystals, easily divisible into rhombs, and is...
(
calciteCalcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380-470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.-Properties:...
). He published an accurate description of the phenomenon, but since the physical nature of light was poorly understood at the time, he was unable to explain it. It was only after
Thomas YoungThomas Young was an English polymath. He is famous for having partly deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics before Jean-François Champollion eventually expanded on his work...
proposed the wave theory of light, c. 1801 that an explanation became possible.
Important Facts
1. Dates
Born: Roskilde, Denmark, 13 Aug. 1625
Died: Copenhagen, 4 Nov. 1698
Dateinfo: Dates Certain
Lifespan: 73
2. Father
Caspar BartholinCaspar Bartholin the Elder was born at Malmø, Denmark and was a polymath, finally accepting a professorship in medicine at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1613...
Occupation:
PhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, Academic
He died when Erasmus was four. No clear information on financial status.
3. Nationality
Birth: Roskilde, Denmark
Career: Denmark
Death: Copenhagen, Denmark
4. Education
Taught initially by private teachers, then attended Latin school.
Univ. of Copenhagen (1642-4), B.A. in 1644. M.A. in 1647.
Studied mathematics at the University of Leiden for several years beginning in 1645.
1651: studied mathematics in France and Italy, ultimately at the
PaduaThe University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
where he was Consiliarius for the German Nation and Vice-syndicus for the university.
M.D., 1654 at Padua.
1654-6: travelled and studied in Italy.
5. Religion
Affiliation: Lutheran.
6. Scientific Disciplines
Primary: Mathematics, Optics
Subordinate: Medicine, Astronomy
Major contribution to science was his study of Icelandic spar.
Writings in pure mathematics were fairly numerous but not of great importance.
Wrote a little on medicine.
Observed the comets of 1665 and other astronomical objects, and published about this topic.
7. Means of Support
Primary: Academia, Patronage, Government
Professor of mathematics at Copenhagen, 1657.
Extraordinary chair of medicine, 1657.
Royal Mathematician, 1667.
Ordinary chair of medicine, 1671.
Teacher to Prince Joergen, 1671.
Dean of the faculty of medicine.
Librarian.
Rector in three different years.
Royal physician.
Privy concilor, Advisor to the chancellor, then minister of justice.
8. Patronage
Type: Court Official
He was supported and directed by
Frederick III of DenmarkFrederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
to prepare for publication the collected manuscript observations of
Tycho BraheTycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
.
In addition, all of the connections to the court, and the various appointments above.
9. Technological Involvement
Type: Medical Practice
As a physician, he introduced
quinineQuinine is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic , antimalarial, analgesic , anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. It is a stereoisomer of quinidine which, unlike quinine, is an anti-arrhythmic...
in the fight against
malariaMalaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
10. Scientific Societies
Memberships: None
He worked with Ole Roemer on Tycho's manuscripts.
He worked with Niels Stensen on
crystallographyCrystallography is the experimental science of the arrangement of atoms in solids. The word "crystallography" derives from the Greek words crystallon = cold drop / frozen drop, with its meaning extending to all solids with some degree of transparency, and grapho = write.Before the development of...
.
External links
- http://www.experiencefestival.com/erasmus_bartholinus/articleindex
- http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/54330/Erasmus-Bartholin
- http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n93-3891
- http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Bartholin.html