Interconnected Worlds. Johann Jakob Scheuchzer and the Scientific Discovery of the Alps (1500-1730)

Swiss physician and naturalist Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672–1733) was the first to explore the Alps using scientific instruments like the barometer, thermometer, and hygrometer. More than just a mountain lover, he devoted time and efforts to observing and measuring, and published extensively. His work reflects a time when science was becoming global, fuelled by curiosity and exploration in the wake of the European discovery of the Americas. Scheuchzer’s research adopted the new methods of the early modern academies – travel, correspondence, surveys, and writing in the vernacular. By comparing Alpine plants, animals, and minerals with exotic specimens, he disclosed their medicinal and therapeutic virtues and benefits. Through his eyes, the Alps became more than a rugged landscape – they turned into a site of scientific discovery, shaped by global exchange and early national ambition. The story of how we came to understand the mountains is also a story of how science itself expanded and evolved.