Luca de Samuele Cagnazzi (28 October 1764 – 26 September 1852) was an Italian archdeacon, scientist, mathematician, and political economist. He also wrote a book about pedagogy and invented the tonograph.
Life
Early life and Education Luca de Samuele Cagnazzi was born in Altamura on 28 October 1764 to parents Ippolito de Samuele Cagnazzi and Livia Nesti. After the death of his father in 1767, he and his elder brother Giuseppe were taken in by family friend Carlo de Marco, who paid for their education. On 4 June 1772, Cagnazzi and his brother enrolled at the Collegio di Bari, where they had as teachers, among others, Emanuele Mola, Filippo Farchi, and Nicola Fiorentini. Since complex math subjects such as calculus were ignored by scholars in the Kingdom of Naples at the time, Cagnazzi was only educated in basic math, Euclidean geometry, logic and history ("chronology") at the Collegio di Bari. He studied further math subjects on his own time from books, such as the Compiendio d'analisi by Girolamo Saladini. To aid with his difficulties with equations of third degree and higher, he contacted Saladini for advice. Saladini suggested further reading from his book Institutiones Analyticae, written together with Vincenzo Riccati. Cagnazzi left the Collegio di Bari in October 1779, continuing his studies at the University of Altamura. There, he completed his math education under professor Giuseppe Carlucci, along with law education under professor Domenico Castelli. Subsequently, Cagnazzi moved to Naples, where he continued his studies and was initiated into an ecclesiastical career. His teachers were Canon Ignarra, Marino Guarani and Francesco Conforti. In Naples, Cagnazzi realized that he was particularly skilled in mathematics compared to his peers, and his skills were as deep as the best mathematicians in Naples. As he himself stated, "the only one who cast a shadow on me was Annibale Giordani.". In Naples, Cagnazzi could study math and science and he could exchange views and opinions with the most notable Neapolitan scholars, but he also reluctantly had to study law and theology as his guardian Carlo de Marco wished; this sort of conflict between favorite subjects and hated and reluctantly imposed subjects appears several times in his autobiography. From this, we learn how this situation was very common at his time; some acquaintances of him had even developed a kind of disease derived from the imposition of subjects not congenial with their vocation. As early as his youth, Cagnazzi started to develop health problems; they were of various kinds (backache, fever etc.) and are all documented in detail in his autobiography. Some illnesses were probably due to his travels, which intensified starting from 1799.
Return to the University of Altamura Following pain in his left side, he was advised by doctor Domenico Cotugno to return to his own city Altamura. In the University of Altamura, there weren't suitable teacher for the chair of mathematics. Cagnazzi convinced the then rector Gioacchino de Gemmis to add a mathematics course; until then just Euclidean geometry was taught. Cagnazzi had to obtain some credentials from the Chaplain Major in order to be hired as a teacher and he finally obtained the chair of mathematics in 1787. He later regretted coming back to his hometown since he preferred living in Naples, the capital of the Kingdom. Despite that, he was already appointed "Canon of Altamura". Cagnazzi later had the chance to return to Naples, where he was able to deepen his knowledge in the field of mineralogy with the help of Alberto Fortis, with whom Cagnazzi remained in contact even after his return to Lombardy (in winter of 1789) through extensive correspondence and exchange of minerals. In February 1790, while he was in Naples, Cagnazzi was appointed "Primicerio" of the Cathedral of Altamura and "had to doctorate in the ridiculous manner that was practiced in the College of the Prince of Avellino". In June of the same year he returned to Altamura and began to teach "the natural and rational philosophical course", replacing Giuseppe Carlucci, who had been teaching that course. Cagnazzi describes Carlucci as "highly skilled in ecclesiastical matters and rational philosophy" and contemptuous of the superstition "that was promoted by foolish priests". In the years between 1790 and 1799 he used to visit quite often Naples and in the same years he was offered important ecclesiastical positions (including the bishopric) which Cagnazzi systematically refused. In his autobiography, he stated: "I confess that I did not despise the bishopric, but I did not want to bind myself to a very circumspect life, like that of a bishop at a young age like mine." In the summer of 1798, Cagnazzi had to return to Altamura and in the meantime "the invasion of the French into the Kingdom was likely". The government in Naples then wanted to understand how many men fit for arms there were in the Kingdom of Naples in order to deploy an army that would counter the invasion. The Clergyman's Secretariat had data relating to marriages and births in the kingdom without any further information. The Major Officer then turned to Cagnazzi who gave his first proof of ability in calculations and, from that time, his technical competence made him much appreciated and requested by the Neapolitan government. In a few hours and by applying the "probability calculation according to statistical theories" starting from the above data alone, Cagnazzi calculated the number of men suitable for arms and, in addition, obtained other useful information "necessary for the good government of a nation". Cagnazzi drew up a table to be presented directly to the king of Naples and, as he himself recounts, "I had to struggle to give it the title "Statistical Table", since such a title sounded suche an act of vanity at that time, which shows how statistics was disregarded at that time here".
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