Gottfried Erich Rosenthal (1745-1813), a follower of Deluc in northern Germany

Gottfried Erich Rosenthal (1745-1813) was born and died at Nordhausen (now in Thuringia). As his ancestors, he became a Master-Baker after his studies at the local Gymnasium, where he excelled in mathematics. In 1779, after reading the 1772 treatise by Deluc, he became interested in meteorology, building and selling (even to Goethe) thermometers and “improved” barometers, and using them to measure elevations, notably of the near Brocken. For the temperature correction of the barometer readings, he graduated his mercury thermometer (one is preserved at Lausanne) with four uncommon scales. In 1787, three years after finishing his monumental “Beyträge…”, where he described his instruments and his hypsometric measurements, he gave up meteorology, for unknown reasons.