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The Most Famous

PHYSICIANS from Netherlands

This page contains a list of the greatest Dutch Physicians. The pantheon dataset contains 502 Physicians, 17 of which were born in Netherlands. This makes Netherlands the birth place of the 7th most number of Physicians behind Italy and Poland.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Dutch Physicians of all time. This list of famous Dutch Physicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Dutch Physicians.

1. Christiaan Eijkman (1858 - 1930)

With an HPI of 67.11, Christiaan Eijkman is the most famous Dutch Physician. His biography has been translated into 61 different languages on wikipedia.

Christiaan Eijkman (UK: AYK-mən, EYEK-mən, US: -⁠mahn, Dutch: [ˈkrɪstijaːn ˈɛikmɑn]; 11 August 1858 – 5 November 1930) was a Dutch physician and professor of physiology whose demonstration that beriberi is caused by poor diet led to the discovery of antineuritic vitamins (thiamine). Together with Sir Frederick Hopkins, he received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1929 for the discovery of vitamins.

2. Peter Canisius (1521 - 1597)

With an HPI of 65.86, Peter Canisius is the 2nd most famous Dutch Physician. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Peter Canisius (Dutch: Pieter Kanis; 8 May 1521 – 21 December 1597) was a Dutch Jesuit priest. He became known for his strong support for the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland and the British Isles. The restoration of the Catholic Church in Germany after the Protestant Reformation is largely attributed to the work there of the Society of Jesus, which he led. He is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church.

3. Cornelius Jansen (1585 - 1638)

With an HPI of 64.91, Cornelius Jansen is the 3rd most famous Dutch Physician. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Cornelius Jansen (, Dutch: [ˈjɑnsə(n)]; Latinized name Cornelius Jansenius; also Corneille Jansen; 28 October 1585 – 6 May 1638) was the Dutch Catholic bishop of Ypres in Flanders and the father of a theological movement known as Jansenism.

4. Regnier de Graaf (1641 - 1673)

With an HPI of 58.89, Regnier de Graaf is the 4th most famous Dutch Physician. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Regnier de Graaf (English spelling), original Dutch spelling Reinier de Graaf, or Latinized Reijnerus de Graeff (30 July 1641 – 17 August 1673), was a Dutch physician, physiologist and anatomist who made key discoveries in reproductive biology. He specialized in iatrochemistry and iatrogenesis, and was the first to develop a syringe to inject dye into human reproductive organs so that he could understand their structure and function.

5. Johann Weyer (1515 - 1588)

With an HPI of 58.74, Johann Weyer is the 5th most famous Dutch Physician. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Johannes Wier (Latin: Ioannes Wierus or Piscinarius; 1515 – 24 February 1588) was a Dutch physician who was among the first to publish a thorough treatise against the trials and persecution of people accused of witchcraft. His most influential work is De Praestigiis Daemonum et Incantationibus ac Venificiis ('On the Illusions of the Demons and on Spells and Poisons'; 1563).

6. Nicolaes Tulp (1593 - 1674)

With an HPI of 58.35, Nicolaes Tulp is the 6th most famous Dutch Physician. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Nicolaes Tulp (9 October 1593 – 12 September 1674) was a Dutch surgeon and mayor of Amsterdam. Tulp was well known for his upstanding moral character and as the subject of Rembrandt's famous painting The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp.

7. Gerard van Swieten (1700 - 1772)

With an HPI of 58.06, Gerard van Swieten is the 7th most famous Dutch Physician. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Gerard van Swieten (7 May 1700 – 18 June 1772) was a Dutch physician who from 1745 was the personal physician of the Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and transformed the Austrian health service and medical university education. He was the father of Gottfried van Swieten, patron of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

8. Frederik Ruysch (1638 - 1731)

With an HPI of 57.43, Frederik Ruysch is the 8th most famous Dutch Physician. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Frederik Ruysch (Dutch: [ˈfreːdərɪk ˈrœys]; March 28, 1638 – February 22, 1731) was a Dutch botanist and anatomist. He is known for developing techniques for preserving anatomical specimens, which he used to create dioramas or scenes incorporating human parts. His anatomical preparations included over 2,000 anatomical, pathological, zoological, and botanical specimens, which were preserved by either drying or embalming. Ruysch is also known for his proof of valves in the lymphatic system, the vomeronasal organ in snakes, and arteria centralis oculi (the central artery of the eye). He was the first to describe the disease that is today known as Hirschsprung's disease, as well as several pathological conditions, including intracranial teratoma, enchondromatosis, and Majewski syndrome.

9. Franciscus Donders (1818 - 1889)

With an HPI of 55.05, Franciscus Donders is the 9th most famous Dutch Physician. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Franciscus (Franz) Cornelius Donders FRS FRSE (27 May 1818 – 24 March 1889) was a Dutch ophthalmologist. During his career, he was a professor of physiology in Utrecht, and was internationally regarded as an authority on eye diseases, directing the Netherlands Hospital for Eye Patients. Along with Graefe and Helmholtz, he was one of the primary founders of scientific ophthalmology.

10. Aletta Jacobs (1854 - 1929)

With an HPI of 54.35, Aletta Jacobs is the 10th most famous Dutch Physician. Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Aletta Henriëtte Jacobs (Dutch pronunciation: [aːˈlɛtaː ɦɑ̃ːriˈɛtə ˈjaːkɔps]; 9 February 1854 – 10 August 1929) was a Dutch physician and women's suffrage activist. As the first woman officially to attend a Dutch university, she became one of the first female physicians in the Netherlands. In 1882, she founded the world's first birth control clinic and was a leader in both the Dutch and international women's movements. She led campaigns aimed at deregulating prostitution, improving women's working conditions, promoting peace and calling for women's right to vote. Born in the mid-nineteenth century, Jacobs yearned to become a doctor like her father. Despite existing barriers, she fought to gain entry to higher education and graduated in 1879 with the first doctorate in medicine earned by a woman in the Netherlands. Providing medical services to women and children, she grew concerned over the health of working women, recognizing that as laws did not provide adequate protection for their health, their economic stability was compromised. She opened a free clinic to educate poor women about hygiene and child care and in 1882 expanded her services to include distribution of contraception information and devices. Though she continued to practice medicine until 1903, Jacobs increasingly turned her attention to activism with a view to improving women's lives. From 1883, when Jacobs first challenged the authorities on women's right to vote, she strove throughout her life to change laws that limited women's access to equality. She was successful in her campaign to establish mandatory break laws in retail workers' employment and in attaining the vote for Dutch women in 1919. Involved in the international women's movement, Jacobs traveled throughout the world speaking about women's issues and documenting the socio-economic and political status of women. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and an active participant in the peace movement. She is recognized internationally for her contributions to women's rights and status.

People

Pantheon has 17 people classified as physicians born between 1515 and 1954. Of these 17, 1 (5.88%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living physicians include Wim Eijk. The most famous deceased physicians include Christiaan Eijkman, Peter Canisius, and Cornelius Jansen. As of April 2022, 1 new physicians have been added to Pantheon including Theodoor Hendrik van de Velde.