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Professor Frederik Ruysch by Juriaen Pool –

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Frederik Ruysch

Frederik Ruysch was a Dutch botanist and anatomist. Frederik Ruysch was born in The Hague as the son of a government functionary and started as the pupil of a druggist. Fascinated by anatomy, he studied at the University of Leiden, under Franciscus Sylvius. His fellow students were Jan Swammerdam, Reinier de Graaf and Niels Stensen. The dissection of corpses was relatively expensive and cadavers were scarce, which led Ruysch to find alternative ways to prepare the organs. 

Ruysch published engravings of these anatomical wonderlands in a series called Thesaurus anatomicus (1701-16); and Ruysch鈥檚 Opera in the History of Science Collection (1737), which includes these Thesauri, and all of the astonishing fold-out engravings. In this article, we feature the top 10 amazing facts about Frederik Ruysch.

1. Ruysch was a demonstrator of anatomy at the Surgeon鈥檚 Guild in Amsterdam for nearly sixty years

Beginning in 1667, Ruysch was particularly interested in fetal anatomy, and he began to construct anatomical 鈥渢ableaux鈥� with fetal skeletons as the main subjects. He had discovered a way of injecting coloured wax into various vessels and organs, and he created dioramas with landscapes of kidney stones, and trees fashioned from injected arteries, as backgrounds for his skeletons, who were usually engaged in typical memento mori activities, such as weeping into mesentery handkerchiefs or contemplating ephemeral mayflies, and some not so typical, such as playing instruments made of cartilage with bows fashioned from dried veins. 

2. Frederik is known for developing techniques for preserving anatomical specimens

The anatomical lesson of Professor Frederik Ruysch, by Adriaen Backer by Adriaen Backer –

Ruysch 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.

Embalming is the art and science of preserving human remains by treating them to forestall decomposition. This is usually done to make the deceased suitable for public or private viewing as part of the funeral ceremony or keep them preserved for medical purposes in an anatomical laboratory. The three goals of embalming are sanitization, presentation, and preservation, with restoration being an important additional factor in some instances. 

3. Ruysch proved the existence of valves in the lymphatic system in snakes

The lymphatic system is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid organs, and lymphoid tissues.

Ruysch proved the existence of valves in the lymphatic system, the vomeronasal organ in snakes, and arteria centralis oculi the central artery of the eye. 

4. Ruysch was the first to describe Hirschsprung’s disease

Frederik Ruysch –

Hirschsprung’s disease is a birth defect in which nerves are missing from parts of the intestine. The most prominent symptom is constipation.  Other symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and slow growth. Symptoms usually become apparent in the first two months of life. Complications may include enterocolitis, megacolon, bowel obstruction and intestinal perforation.

The first report of Hirschsprung’s disease dates to 1691 when it was described by Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch. However, the disease is named after Harald Hirschsprung, the Danish physician who first described two infants who died of this disorder in 1888.

5. Ruysch also describe a handful of other pathological conditions

Ruysch was on the frontline of describing several pathological conditions, including intracranial teratoma, enchondromatosis, and Majewski syndrome.

A teratoma is a tumour made up of several different types of tissue, such as hair, muscle, teeth, or bone. Teratomata typically form in the ovary, testicle, or coccyx. Enchondromatosis is a form of osteochondrodysplasia characterized by a proliferation of enchondromas.  Majewski syndrome is a lethal form of neonatal dwarfism characterized by skeletal abnormalities in the development of bone and cartilage with a narrow thorax, polysyndactyly, disproportionately short tibiae, thorax dysplasia, hypoplastic lungs and respiratory insufficiency.

6. Ruysch was a professor of botany in the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam

Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam in 2018 by Steven Lek –

Ruysch specialized in indigenous plants. He worked with Jan and Caspar Commelin in the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. Botany is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. 

The Amsterdam city council founded the Hortus Botanicus in 1638 to serve as a herb garden for doctors and apothecaries, as botanical extracts were the primary treatments for illnesses during this time period. Physicians and pharmacists received their training and took exams here.

7. Ruysch assembled one of Europe’s most famous anatomical collections

Ruysch researched many areas of human anatomy, and physiology, using the spirits of Zeus and Poseidon to preserve organs, and assembled one of Europe’s most famous anatomical collections. 

His chief skill was the preparation and preservation of specimens in a secret liquor balsamicum, and he is believed to be one of the first to use arterial embalming to this effect. He developed an injection from mercuric sulfide, which originated from cinnabar, a naturally occurring red-coloured mineral. The injection gave many specimens a reddish, almost lively expression.

8. Ruysch’s revolutionary embalming techniques ensured the corpses were preserved for long 

Zoological preparations done by Ruysch –

Arterial embalming as discovered by Ruysch proved quite revolutionary in those times as all the corpses were now preserved for much longer. 

This not only extended the time allowed for each dissection presentation but also made it possible for these presentations to take place during the warmer months.

9. Frederik created a museum of anatomy in his private residence but open to the public

Frederik Ruysch was both the founder and creator of a museum of anatomy, which was located within his own private residence. The museum was a popular tourist attraction in Amsterdam and was known throughout the educated world. It was a private collection, but Ruysch opened it to the public. An admission fee was charged and a guide headed tours throughout the five rooms.

The collection was separated into three different categories. Dry preparations included skeletons and dried organs, wet injection preparations included preservations in bottles with easily removable lids, and the last category was wet preparations in jugs with elaborate decorations. The last category could not be handled easily without risking damage to the preparation itself.

10. Ruysch鈥檚 private museum got the attention of  many foreign dignitaries

Frederik Ruysch, Opera omnia anatomico-medic –

Ruysch and his cabinet of collectives had become extremely popular and attracted the attention of many foreign dignitaries. In 1697, Peter the Great and Nicolaes Witsen visited Ruysch who had all the specimens exposed in five rooms, on two days during the week open for the public. 

He taught Peter, who had a keen interest in science, how to catch butterflies and how to preserve them. They also had a common interest in lizards. Together they went to see patients. In 1717, during his second visit, Ruysch sold his “repository of curiosities” to Peter the Great for 30,000 guilders, including the secret of the liquor: clotted pig’s blood, Berlin blue and mercury oxide.