Dutch physician, anatomist, botanist, chemist and humanist. One of the most influential clinicians and teachers of the 18th century, Boerhaave spent almost his entire life in Leiden, which became a leading medical centre of Europe. Like Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689) he helped to revive the Hippocratic method of bedside instruction; he further insisted on post-mortem examination of patients whereby he demonstrated the relation of symptoms to lesions. Boerhaave's syndrome, the spontaneous oesophageal rupture, was named so because of his description of a Great Admiral of the Dutch Fleet who overate and experienced a spontaneous rupture of the oesophagus following vomiting. He thus instituted the clinico-pathological conference still in use today. Boerhaave's fame was enormous, extending far beyond Europe to China. Skilled as physician, botanist, chemist and anatomist, he adhered to no single tradition but combined the best features of the mechanistic and chemical schools in his own brand of eclecticism. His methods of instruction were spread throughout Europe by a host of students. Two of his writings, the Institutiones Medicinae (1708) and the Elementa Chemiae (1732) remained standard textbooks for decades.... More • http://www.whonamedi ... /2404.html View • Books • Images • Videos • Search Related • Humanists • Scientists • Anatomy • Biology • Enlightenment • Health • Medicine • Netherlands • Physicians • People