Luca de Samuele Cagnazzi

Luca de Samuele Cagnazzi was born in Altamura in the night between the 27th and the 28th October 1764 from Ippolito de Samuele Cagnazzi and Livia Nesti. Righ after the premature death of his father occurred in 1767, Cagnazzi, at that time a boy, together with his elder brother Giuseppe, had Carlo de Marco as their guardian, who was their father's close friend and who took care of their education and careers. ON 4yh June 1772, both of them were enrolled in the Collegio di Bari, just founded, where they had as teachers, among othere, Emanuele Mola, Filippo Farchi, and Nicola Fiorentino. The principal at that time was Luigi Sagrariga Visconti. Cagnazzi left the college on October 1779.[3]

Cagnazzi was provided at his college just with a basic education in math, where he studied just Euclidean geometry, logic and history ("chronology"). He continued his studies at the University of Altamura with professor Giuseppe Carlucci, with which he completed his math education and he was also taught law by professor Domenico Castelli in the same university.[3]

Cagnazzi had to study math basically on his own, except for the basic notions learned in the Collegio di Bari. Advanced math, like calculus, was at that ignored by scholars in the Kingdom of Naples and Cagnazzi was enticed by Fiorentini to learn advanced math. Cagnzzi studied on his own the book Compiendio d'analisi by Girolamo Saladini, even if he had seriousl difficulties with equations of degree greater than the secondp. In order to overcome these diffculties, Cagnazzi was in correspondence with Saladino himself, who, among other things, suggested that he had to study his book Institutiones Analyticae, wrotten together with Vincenzo Riccati.[3]

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. [4] 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. [4]

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".[5]

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.[6]

In February 1790, while he was in Naples, Cagnazzi was appointed "Primicerio" of the Cathedral of Altamura and "I 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".[7]

In the years between 1790 and 1799 he used to visit quite often Naples and in the same years he was offered 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."[8]

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".[9]

In 1799, he first moved to Florence, where he worked as a teacher and then he moved to the University of Naples Federico II where he became a professor of statistics and of economics, and a member of the Royal Society of Encouragement to Natural Sciences of Naples. He also became head of the Office of Statistics and Trade of the Kingdom of Naples, under Joachim Murat's rule, and he kept that position until 1821. He was a frequent contributor to the Italian journal Il progresso delle scienze, delle lettere e delle arti, of which he was also editor for a short time. In 1848, aged 84, he was elected member of the newly born Parliament of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies; he was involved in the riots of Naples on 15 May 1848 and, because of this, he ended up under trial in Naples. He died in 1852, aged 88, after a trial session.

• "Transunto d'un discorso meteorologico sugli anni 1792 e 1793". Opuscoli Scelti Sulle Scienze e Sulle Arti. Milano: Giuseppe Marelli. 7. 1794.
• Memoria sulle curve parallele di Luca Cagnazzi con due lettere dello stesso riguardanti la detta memoria dirette al Signor D. Giuseppe Saverio Poli, scritta tra il 1787 e il 1789, pubblicata dopo il 1794.[30]
• "Considerazioni sugl'igrometri colla migliorazione di quello di Saussure". Memoria Letta All'Accademia dei Georgofili Il 25 Febbraio 1801.[31][32]
• "Osservazioni e conietture sul male detto della Tarantola che domina nella campagna di Puglia". Memoria Letta All'Accademia dei Georgofili Il 18 Marzo 1801.[33]

[34][35][36]

• "Congetture su di un antico sbocco dell'Adriatico per la Daunia fino al seno tarantino". Memorie di matematica e fisica della Società italiana delle scienze. Modena: Società Tipografica. XIII, parte II: 189. 1807.[37][38]
• "Sull'uso delle osservazioni meteorologiche per ben dirigere la nostra agricoltura". Atti del Reale Istituto d'incoraggiamento. 1806.[39]
• "Discorso sulle cause della sospensione delle terre nell'atmosfera". Memorie della Società Pontaniana di Napoli: 171–186. 1810.
• "Su lo stato naturale e sull'industria rurale della campagna di Puglia". Atti del Reale Istituto d'incoraggiamento. 1810.[40]
• "Notizie dei prezzi di alcune derrate di alimento per più di due secoli". Atti della Società Pontaniana di Napoli. Stamperia Reale: 145. 1810.[41]
• "La vaccinazione giova o no all'aumento della popolazione?". Annali Universali di Statistica. Milano: Editore degli Annali universali. 27: 153. 1831.[42]
• "Sugli effetti risultanti all'umano intendimento dall'uso di meccanismi nelle arti e nelle scienze (memoria letta il 13 gennaio 1833 all'Accademia Pontaniana)". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)[43]
• "Lettera del Cav. Luca de Samuele Cagnazzi al marchese Giuseppe Ruffo in occasione della memoria da questi pubblicata "Sull'utilità di migliorare razze equine di real conto"". Il Progresso delle Scienze, delle Lettere e delle Arti. Napoli: Tipografia Flautina. X (4): 209 e succ. 1835.[44]
• "Sull'uso della sintesi e dell'analisi nell'istruzione delle scienze matematiche". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• "Sullo stato dei calori di Puglia". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)[45]
• "Sulla temperatura di Napoli". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)[46]
• "Volgarizzamento del quadro della vita umana di Cebete Tebano". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)[47]
• "Sulla probabilità di vita nel Regno di Napoli". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)[48]

• Alla Santa Memoria di Leone XIII. Sommo pontefice. Elogio letto ne' solenni funerali. Napoli: Gennaro Palma. 1829.
• All'augusta memoria di Maria Cristina di Savoia. Regina delle Sue Sicilie. Elogio letto ne' solenni funerali. Napoli: Stamperia della Società Filomatica. 1836.[49]

• "Riconoscimento e liquidazione di credito a carico del Comune di Altamura - Ippolito e Luca de Samuele Cagnazzi". Repertorio Sull'amministrazione Civile Nel Regno delle Due Sicilie. Napoli: Stabilimento Fu Migliaccio. 1: 572. 1851.

• Über den Wert der Masse und der Gewichte der alten Römer. Translated by Johan Heinrich Schubothe. Copenhagen. 1828.[50]