The Accademia del Cimento (Academy of Experiment) was founded in Florence in 1657 by students of Galileo. It was the first European scientific academy. The society, created under the patronage of the Medici family, devoted itself for ten years to the experimental investigation of a broad range of scientific matters, and provided a model and inspiration for many subsequent scientific societies such as the Royal Society of London (founded 1660), and the Academie Royale des Sciences (founded 1666). The Accademia was discontinued in 1667 after the premature deaths of its patrons, Prince Leopoldo De’ Medici and his brother the Grand Duke Ferdinando. The society only published one book during its existence, the Saggi di naturali esperienze (Essays of Natural Experiments), written by the secretary of the academy, the diplomat, scholar and scientist Lorenzo Magalotti (1637- 1712). Its English translation in 1684 is one of the first important publications by the Royal Society.
The most significant experiments described in the book are related to the measurement of temperature and humidity, and the image here shows glass thermometers (figures I-V) and a hygrometer (figure VI). In an earlier period temperature was measured by tools called thermoscopes, lacking precise scales and, not being sealed, influenced by air pressure. The Academy developed sealed and graduated thermometers made of crystal, called “Florentine thermometers”. The image shows bulb-shaped thermometers with long stems (I, II and III), with spiral stem (IV) and vial-shaped (V). They were mostly filled with alcohol. Item VI is an instrument used for measuring the moisture content in the atmosphere, a hygrometer, consisting of an upper vase internally coated with glass and filled with snow. The humidity present in the air, coming into contact with the icy glass, would condense into water drops that would pour into the graduated crystal glass at the bottom.
Sources- http://catalogo.museogalileo.it/approfondimento/ScaleTermometricheCimento.html
- Ludovico Geymonat (ed.) Storia del pensiero filosofico e scientifico. Milano, Garzanti, 1970-1972, vol. 2 pp. 393-394.
- Photographic images of the original instruments in the Galilean Museum in Florence:
- http://catalogo.museogalileo.it/galleria/TermometroCinquantigradoInv173.html
- http://catalogo.museogalileo.it/galleria/TermometriSpiraleInv193194a194b.html
- http://catalogo.museogalileo.it/galleria/TermometriAdAltoFustoInv161820212526160163164166167169170171.html
- http://catalogo.museogalileo.it/galleria/TermometriFialaInv184.html
- http://catalogo.museogalileo.it/oggetto/IgrometroCondensazione.html
- Three videos about the Academy and its experiments (in Italian)
- http://catalogo.museogalileo.it/multimedia/AccademiaCimento.html
- http://catalogo.museogalileo.it/multimedia/TermoscopioTermometro.html
- http://catalogo.museogalileo.it/multimedia/Igrometro.html