Ole Borch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ole Borch
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Ole Borch
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| Born | April 7, 1626 Ribe, Denmark
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| Died | October 13, 1690 (aged 64) Copenhagen, Denmark
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| Alma mater | University of Copenhagen |
| Occupation | Danish scientist |
Ole Borch (born April 7, 1626 – died October 13, 1690) was a very smart Danish scientist. He was known for many things! He was a scientist, a doctor, a language expert (called a grammarian), and even a poet.
He was so good that he became the personal doctor for two Danish kings, Frederick III of Denmark and Christian V of Denmark. Ole Borch also started a special college called Borchs Kollegium. He was also a very important teacher for another famous scientist named Nicolas Steno.
Contents
A Scientist's Life: Ole Borch
Ole Borch was born in a place called Nørre Bork in Denmark. His father was a priest. Ole Borch went to the University of Copenhagen to study medicine.
Early Career and the Plague
In 1650, he started teaching at a school called Vor Frue Skole. He showed great courage during the terrible bubonic plague in 1654. This plague caused a third of the people in Copenhagen to die.
Travels and Famous Friends
In 1655, a powerful royal official named Joachim Gersdorff became Ole Borch's supporter. Borch was asked to teach Gersdorff's sons for five years. From 1660 to 1665, Ole Borch traveled with the sons to many countries. They visited Germany, the Netherlands, France, England, and Italy.
During his travels, he met many other famous scientists. He visited his former student Nicolas Steno, and also met Johann Glauber, Giuseppe Francesco Borri, and Comenius. In England, he met Robert Boyle, and in France, he visited Melchisédech Thévenot. Ole Borch kept detailed journals of his trips. These journals are important because they show us what science was like in Europe in the 1600s.
Return to Copenhagen and New Discoveries
When he returned to Copenhagen in 1665, Ole Borch took on an important job. He became a professor of philology (the study of language) at the University of Copenhagen. In 1666, he also became a professor of chemistry and botany (the study of plants).
Ole Borch is considered one of the people who helped start experimental science in Denmark. He founded Borchs Kollegium, a college in central Copenhagen. He was also the first person to show Nicolas Steno about fossils. These included things like shark teeth (which people back then called glossopetrae). Ole Borch even used these fossils in medicines, which was common at the time. In 1678, he managed to get oxygen out of a substance called saltpeter.
Ole Borch's Legacy
Ole Borch's name is remembered in science today! A type of snake found in South America is named after him: Siagonodon borrichianus. Also, several plants that can grow in salty places are named Borrichias in his honor.
