Johann Josef Loschmidt

Who was Johann Josef Loschmidt?

Jan or Johann Josef Loschmidt, who referred to himself mostly as Josef Loschmidt, was a notable Austrian scientist who performed ground-breaking work in chemistry, physics, and crystal forms.

Born in Carlsbad, a town located in the Austrian Empire, Loschmidt became professor of physical chemistry at the University of Vienna in 1868.

He had two early mentors. The first was a Bohemian priest, Adalbert Czech, who persuaded Loschmidt's parents to send young Josef to high school in the Piarist monastery in Schlackenwerth and, in 1837, to advanced high-school classes in Prague.

This was followed by two years of philosophy and mathematics at Prague's Charles University, where Loschmidt met his second important mentor. This was the philosophy professor Franz S. Exner, whose eyesight was failing, and who asked Loschmidt to be his personal reader. Exner was known for his innovative school reforms, which included promoting mathematics and science as important subjects. He suggested to Loschmidt, who became a close personal friend, that he apply mathematics to psychological phenomena. In the process of doing this, he became a very able mathematician.