Juan Molina, S.J.
Juan Molina, S.J. taught botany at the college in Talca, Chile where he was able to study Chilean history, culture and geography about which he would later write. In 1768 he had to leave Chile because of the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Spanish territories. After the Suppression (1773) he was appointed professor of natural sciences at the Institute of Bologna, where he wrote most of his works.
Juan described an analogy between living organisms and minerals. He proposed an idea of the gradual evolution of human beings, thereby anticipating Darwin's theory of evolution. In an 1815 work on nature's three kingdoms (mineral, vegetable and animal) he describes the Creator's plan for a continuous seamless chain of life from mineral life to vegetable life to animal life with no discrete discontinuous steps. Crystalline minerals tend to gather together in preparation for the higher form of vegetable life which then evolve into animal life. John showed unusual insight as well as care to maintain the scientific method, basing his claims on scientific observations. Called a heretic by some observers, he was ordered by the Archbishop of Bologna to hand over his findings to a committee of 18 theologians. The latter found no difficulty with John's work and approved publication.
Because of his contributions to biologiacl research Juan Molina, S.J. is honored in comemorative stamps.
Chilean comemorative stamps
Because of Juan's work Compendio della storia geografica naturale e civile del regno del Chile (Bologna, 1776), he remains the classic author on the natural history of Chile. Two 1967 Chilean stamps honor this Italian Jesuit botanist: one refers to him as the "first scientist of Chile" and the other calls him a "benefactor of national education". His scientific writings also helped direct Chilean intellectuals away from being overly dependent on Spain.
References
Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu ( AHSI ) Rome: Institutum Historicum
Bangert, William A History of the Society of Jesus. St. Louis: St. Louis Institute, 1972uis, 1810
Gillispie, Charles. C. ed., Dictionary of Scientific biography. 16 vols. New York: Charles Scribner and Sons, 1970
{Reference to Juan Molina is in DSB Vol 9 pg. 458.}
Oldenburg, Henry ed. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. vols. 1-30. London: 1665-1715
Reilly, Conor "A catalogue of Jesuitica in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London" in A.H.S.I. vol. 27,1958, p. 339-362
Sommervogel, Carolus Bibliothèque de la compagnie de Jésus. 12 volumes. Bruxelles: Société Belge de Libraire, 1890-1960
Compendio delta storia geografica, naturals, e civile dew regno del Chile (Bologna, 1776) Storia civile (Bologna, 1786)
Rodolfo Jaramillo Barriga, El abate Juan Ignacio Molina, primer evolucionista y precursor de Teilhard de Chardin (Santiago de Chile, 1963);
Enrique Laval, "La medicina en el abate Molina," in Anales chilenos de historia de la medicina (1965);
Miguel Rojas Mix, in Anales de la Universidad de Chile (I 965).
José de Acosta, S.J. - 1600: Pioneer of the Geophysical Sciences
