FRANCESCO ZANTEDISCHI. — Priest and scientist, born at Dolcè (Verona) on 18 Aug. 1797, died at Padua on 29 March 1873.
Ordained priest at Verona, he taught philosophy and natural sciences at Brescia, Milan and Venice before obtaining the chair of physics at the University of Padua, from which he was removed in 1857 after having been blind for two years. In response to this measure he published a bibliography of his writings, which he distributed to all the scientific institutions of Europe, followed by an extract of the replies he had received (Nascita, studi, posizione sociale e bibliografia delle principali opere di F. Z., Padua 1857 and Lettere di Accademie... dettate a conforto dell'abate F. cav. Z., ibid. 1858). He was not reinstated in teaching, but continued his scientific work into old age: as late as 1856 he was collaborating in the Atti dell’I. R. Istituto Veneto. He took an interest in all branches of physics, promoted steam navigation in the Adriatic, founded the botanical garden of Venice, and achieved wide renown, evidenced by his membership in the principal Italian and foreign scientific academies. His most original studies concerned acoustics, “calorific” phenomena, and electricity.