Manfred Wilde (Delitzsch): Korrespondenten
von G. W. Leibniz — 14. Johann Caspar Westphal, geb. 28. November 1649 in
RŸgenwalde/Pommern – gest. 24. MŠrz 1722 in Delitzsch/Sachsen
The doctor and practicing physician Westphal was related to Leibniz through
his wife. The surviving correspondence stems from the years between 1702 and
1708; Westphal was the only physician in the service of the Saxon city of
Delitzsch during these and the following years. In this function he also had to
submit medical reports to the city court. Several times he tried to gain
recognition from Leibniz for his own scientific achievements, and for his
membership in the Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina, but apparently he failed to
do so. The professional encouragement he hoped for also failed to materialize.
On the other hand, Westphal succeeded in winning academic recognition for his
publications in the Ephemerides
of the Society for Natural
Sciences, despite his lack of personal connections to a university. The few letters
which have been handed down from WestphalÕs literary inheritance give the
impression of a natural scientist whose accomplishments should not be
underestimated, and who also maintained a wide circle of correspondents.
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