Abstract
FOUR hundred years ago, on May 24, 1543, the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus died in the city of Frauenberg, situated on the Fritsehes Hof, about midway between Dantzig and Konigsberg, He was buried in the cathedral, the centre of the diocese which he had served faithfully through his knowledge of canon law. As he lay on his bed stricken with paralysis, the first copy of his book “De Revolutionibus orbium coeleBtrum, Libri VI” was placed in his hands, but it was too late ; his memory had gone, hifl faculties were obscured. The book had lain completed for thirteen years, and it was only through the enthusiasm of the young German mathematician, Joachim Rheticus-whose attitude towards Copernicus was like that of Halley to Newton-that it was at last published, The expense of publishing was borne by Cardinal Schonberg, and to-day the first edition is exceedingly rare, A second edition appeared in 1566, and a third and last in 1617, Copernicus was just over seventy years of age, having been born at Thorn on January 19, 1473, Through his bishop uncle he was able to study at Cracow, Bologna, Rome, Padua and Ferrara, at the last of which he took his doctor's degree in canon law. He returned north from Italy in 1506, lived at Heilsburg from 1507 until 1512, and from thence onward Frauenberg was his home. There is a statue of him at Thorn and another stands in the interior court of the library of the Jagellonian University, Cracow, A photograph of this was published in NATURE of March 2, 1922, to illustrate an article on “Science in Poland”, and the question as to whether Copernicus was a Pole or a German was the subject of remarks in these columns so long ago as December 21, 1871 (p. 151).
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SMITH, E. SCIENTIFIC CENTENARIES IN 1943. Nature 151, 15–17 (1943). https://doi.org/10.1038/151015a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/151015a0