Jean Baptiste Van Helmont (jan 12, 1580 – dec 30, 1644)
Description:
Jean Baptiste Van Helmont was born on January 12, 1580, in Brussels and died on December 30, 1644. He studied philosophy and classics at Leuven. Before taking a doctorate in medicine in 1599, he briefly studied theology, geography, and law. He performed many experiments, but in his most well-known experiment he planted a willow in a pot of dried soil. Over the course of five years he added nothing but distilled water and rainwater. He noted that the tree had gained almost 80kg but the soil had only lost about two ounces. He concluded that the mass of the materials had to be accounted for in chemical processes (specifically from water). He also studied gases heavily.https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jan-Baptista-van-Helmont
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 12, 1580
dec 30, 1644
~ 65 years