Johann Georg Schmidt (pharmacist)

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Title page of the rock philosophy from 1718

Johann Georg Schmidt (* 1660 in Reinsfeld , † 1722 in Zwickau ) was a pharmacist , scientist and Enlightenment writer .

Schmidt was born as a pastor's son in Reinsfeld. He went to school in Arnstadt and completed an apprenticeship as a pharmacist, which he completed in Mühlhausen . He then worked as a pharmacist in Dresden and from 1693 in Zwickau. He died here in 1722. He bequeathed the pharmacy to his son Johann Georg Schmidt jun.

In addition to his job, Schmidt collected beetles, butterflies and minerals and created a “ Herbarium accuratissimum curiosum” with over 500 nature prints . He also wrote scientific papers.

The groomed skirt philosophy

He became known, however, with a collection of popular magical practices, which first appeared in 1705 under the title "The groomed rock philosophy". Five more editions were printed by 1759. Using the traditional means of entertainment and instruction, Schmidt sharply attacked superstition in his work . The misogynous enlightenment polemic was directed against the "philosophy on the distaff "; This term was used since the Enlightenment to denote the popular belief that was widespread among women in spinning rooms . Excerpts from the collection, also known as the “Chemnitz Rock Philosophy”, can be found in many later works, including in the German mythology of the Brothers Grimm .

literature

  • Johann Georg Schmidt: The groomed rock philosophy, or sincere investigation of the superstitions held up by many super-clever women. Stössel, Chemnitz 1705. (Volume 1: [ The first hundred. ] Digitized and full text in the German text archive ), (Volume 2: The other hundred. Digitalized and full text in the German text archive )
  • The curled rock philosophy, Or sincere investigation of those superstitions upheld by many super-clever women, useful to all to read / who have either already been betrayed by one or other superstition or can still be betrayed; In the light of him who tells the truth to everyone in his face. Stössel, Chemnitz 1718 (Volume 1), 1722 (Volume 2) E-text of the edition from 1718 at zeno.org
  • Johannes Dillinger: Witches and Magic. A historical introduction. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt / New York 2007, ISBN 978-3-593-38302-6 . ( Excerpt ( Memento from October 22, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) PDF, 721 kB)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Johann Georg Schmidt - a Thuringian who wrote in the 17th century and the first description of the disease cystic fibrosis. )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.arnstadt.de
  2. ^ Emil Herzog: Chronicle of the district town of Zwickau. Zückler, 1845, p. 540.
  3. ^ Andreas Grote: Macrocosmos in Microcosmo: the world in the room: for the history of collecting, 1450 to 1800. VS Verlag, 1994, ISBN 3-8100-1048-0 , p. 463
  4. ↑ JB Smith: Striped-petticoat Philosophy. ( Memento from July 11, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) August 2005.
personal data
SURNAME Schmidt, Johann Georg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German pharmacist, scientist and Enlightenment writer
DATE OF BIRTH 1660
PLACE OF BIRTH Reinsfeld , Thuringia
DATE OF DEATH 1722
Place of death Zwickau