István Hatvani

* Rimaszombat, 1718. November 21. – † Debrecen, 1786. November 16. / doctor of medicine, mathematician, natural scientist, teacher ; ; His father was a bookbinder. He completed his lower schools in Rimaszombat, Losonc, Kecskemét. In 1737 he was appointed preceptor at the Révkomárom school. In 1738 he enrolled in the Debrecen dormitory, but due to the plague epidemic he only became a student of the Togátus in 1741. He was taught experimental natural science by Sámuel Szilágyi. In 1746 he continued his studies in Basel. He submitted his doctoral dissertation in philosophy, Animadversiones theologicocriticae, on June 17, 1747. In 1746 he also enrolled in the medical department, and in 1748 he published his dissertation De aestimatione morborum ex facie. He was awarded a doctorate in medicine based on his thesis. In 1747 he was invited to Debrecen to teach mathematics and physics, so he also studied mathematics with the two Bernoullis in Basel. In 1748 he went to Leiden via Utrecht. During his studies he received invitations to the universities of Heidelberg, Magdeburg and Leiden. In 1749 he took up the chair of philosophy and mathematics at the Debrecen College with his book The Use of Mathematics in the Sciences. According to his autobiography written in 1757, he lectured on the history of philosophy, ontology, theologia naturalist, cosmology, physica generalist and specialist, experimental physics, botany, medical physiology, geography, hydrostatics, mechanics, astronomy, ethics and natural law. He was the first to teach chemistry in Hungary (1750). ; As a physicist, he appears to be more of a follower of Newton, in contrast to the Cartesian traditions of Debrecen. He recognized the importance of experiments and the necessity of quantitative discussion in the teaching of physics. Presumably because of his electrostatic experiments, which were otherwise far from mystical, he gained a reputation as a “demonic” and legends were woven around his figure. In addition to teaching, he was also involved in healing, and was the supervisor of pharmacies in Debrecen and Bihar counties. He considered the 1781 educational reform of the college to be offensive to himself and his fellow teachers. Tired of fighting against it, he retired in 1786. He had extensive contacts with foreign scientists. He was a prepared polymath of the time, who spoke in the most diverse fields of science. He used natural observations to expand and illustrate school education. This is how one should evaluate, for example, the geographical latitude determined from the midday height of the Sun, which, although inaccurate even compared to the requirements of the time, gave students information about the measurement (basic surveying training was also offered at the Debrecen college). The observation of the comet of 1769, whose orbit he also tried to determine, and the precise description of the aurora phenomenon seen in 1776 are of greater importance. He was the first in Hungary to explain the essence of probability calculation. Relying on accurate statistical data and the tools of probability calculation and mathematical statistics, he drew reliable conclusions from domestic mortality rates, and as a doctor he also gave advice on improving the sad situation at home. ; ; His main works: ; Introductio ad principia philosophiae…, 1757, ; Thermae Varadienses examini physico et medico, 1777.