Angelo Sala facts for kids
Angelo Sala (born March 21, 1576, in Vicenza, Italy – died October 2, 1637, in Bützow, Germany) was an important Italian doctor and an early expert in chemical medicine. He believed in using chemical remedies to treat illnesses. Sala made many observations that were ahead of his time. For example, he noticed that different metals reacted in special ways with acids. He also saw that sulfur needed something from the air to burn. He even observed that silver nitrate turned dark when exposed to light, which was a big step towards inventing photography. Sala also thought that tiny, basic particles (like atoms) existed. He was the first to study how alcohol forms from fermenting fruit juices, making him a founder of sugar chemistry.
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Angelo Sala's Life Story
Angelo Sala was the son of a spinner. He likely learned about pharmacy in Venice, Italy. Because he was a Calvinist, he left Italy. He worked as a doctor in many cities without having gone to a university. These cities included Dresden (1602), Nuremberg (1606), and Geneva (1609). From 1607 to 1609, he was a city doctor in Winterthur.
His Writings and Ideas
Around 1608-1609, Sala started writing many books about chemistry and medicine. One of his important ideas was the "corpuscular theory." This means he believed that everything was made of tiny, basic particles. For example, he thought that fermentation (like when fruit juice turns into alcohol) was just these tiny particles rearranging themselves to form new things. His experiments showed that the same basic substance could go through many chemical changes. This made him think that tiny, unchanging atoms were the parts that stayed the same through all these steps.
Sala was very careful not to be tricked by the false promises of alchemists. Alchemists often claimed they could turn cheap metals into gold. Sala warned people about these tricks. He showed how some alchemists pretended to turn tin into silver. He also proved that Vitriol (a type of chemical salt) could be broken down into other substances and then put back together. He also created sal ammoniac from other chemicals. In one of his books, he clearly stated that he did not believe in the idea of finding the "philosopher's stone," which alchemists thought could turn anything into gold.
New Chemical Medicine
During Sala's time, a new way of practicing medicine, called Paracelsianism, became popular. This approach used chemicals as remedies. Sala helped this new "chemical medicine" grow by publishing his work. He studied chemicals like vitriol and suggested better names for them based on what they were made of. This was an improvement over older names used by Paracelsus, another famous chemist.
Discovering How Light Affects Silver
One of Sala's main interests was how chemicals change. Around 1610, he worked as a doctor for Count Johann von Nassau. Between 1612 and 1617, he worked in The Hague. During this time, he experimented with silver nitrate and other silver salts. His discoveries were a very important step towards inventing photography. He noticed that silver nitrate turned dark when exposed to light. This observation was key to understanding how light could create images.
Later, another scientist named Robert Boyle also saw silver darken. However, Boyle mistakenly thought it was caused by air, not light.
Working in Germany
Sala became the personal doctor for Count Anton Günther of Oldenburg. He also oversaw the pharmacies in the state of Oldenburg. In 1620, Sala moved to Hamburg as a medical chemist. He then became the personal doctor for Count Ernst von Holstein-Schaumburg. In 1622, he was called to Kassel by Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. From about 1623, Sala served Duke John Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg as his personal doctor. He lived and worked in the Güstrow castle starting in 1625.
In 1628, Sala went into exile with Duke Johann Albrecht II. He joined a famous society called the Fruitbearing Society. There, he was given the name "der Lindernde" (the soothing) and his motto was "die Schmerzen" (pain). His symbol was the chamomile blossom. Sala stayed with the Duke as his personal doctor until the Duke died in 1636. After that, he served the Duke's son, Gustav Adolf of Mecklenburg-Güstrow.
Teaching Chemistry
Sala also taught chemistry at the University of Rostock. One of his students there was Johann Rist. Another scientist at Rostock, Peter Lauremberg, discussed Sala's ideas. This led to some disagreements, which became more intense when Sala's son-in-law, Anton Günther Billich, got involved.
Angelo Sala's Family Life
Angelo Sala married three times. His first wife was Maria Ennan. They had a daughter named Maria, who was born in 1608. Maria later married Anton Günther Billich, who was a doctor and a friend of Sala.
Sala's second marriage was in 1621 to Cornelia de L'Hommels in Hamburg. His third marriage was in 1628 to Katharina von Brockdorff in Lübeck. Sala's family later became part of the nobility in Germany. However, the German branch of his family ended in 1806.
Angelo Sala died on October 2, 1637, in Bützow, at 61 years old. He was buried in the Cathedral of St. Maria, St. Johannes Evangelista, and St. Cäcilia.
Sala's Lasting Impact
Angelo Sala's research and discoveries helped people better understand chemical reactions. He showed that some substances are made up of chemical combinations of other substances.
Sala's discovery that silver is sensitive to light was very important. Other chemists built on his work, which eventually led to the invention of photography in the 1830s.
Sala was mainly a practical scientist. He believed that true understanding came from doing experiments with your hands. For him, chemistry was still a craft that required hands-on work.
Today, the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg gives out the Angelus Sala Prize every year. This award goes to high school students in northern Germany who have done excellent work in chemistry.
Publications
Sala wrote his works in French and Italian. Most of them were translated into German, French, and Latin. His writings were based on practical experiments. In his later works, he moved away from some of the ideas of Paracelsus.
- Medico-chemical works
- Joh. Beyer, Frankfurt 1647 (digital copy)
- Berthelin, Rouen 1650 (digital copy)
- Hermann a Sande, Frankfurt 1682 (digital copy)
See also
In Spanish: Angelo Sala para niños
