Petrus Camper

Peter Camper (May 11 in 1722 in Leiden, † April 7, 1789 in The Hague) was a Dutch physician.

Camper studied medicine in Leiden and in 1750 professor of medicine in Franeker, 1755 Professor of Surgery in Amsterdam and in 1763 professor of surgery and botany in Groningen.

In 1773 he resigned from his post, privatized in Franeker and went traveling. After he became a member of the State Council in 1787, he moved to The Hague, where he died in 1789.

He wrote: Demonstrationes anatomico - pathologicae (The Hague 1760-62, 2 parts, each with 4 large copper plates ); De claudicatione (Groningen 1763); Dissertatio de callo ossium (Groningen 1765 ). A collection of his writings (3 volumes and an atlas ) was published in 1803 in Paris. His writings were, among others, the foundation of a new branch of anatomy - craniometry.

Peter Camper tried to attribute the beauty of the human face shape to certain principles. From its physiognomic studies testifies named after him reference plane on the human skull ( Camper's plane): It runs on the bony skull of the spina nasalis anterior to the external auditory hiatus.

Early on, he also dabbled in drawing and painting with oil colors, etched many small leaves and wrote about the connection of the anatomy with the signing arts. A major merit he earned by his large-scale anatomical and osteological drawings, many of which are still available.

Campers also devoted himself very involved theoretical and practical architecture; unusually for his time, he tried even at the age of 50 years in the sculpture.

Works (selection)

  • Petrus Camper, De Hominis varietate ( German version of Samuel Thomas Soemmering ): About the natural difference of facial features in people of different areas, etc., Vossische bookstore, Berlin, 1792.

Literature (selection )

  • LWR Kobes, source study to Peter Camper and named after him skull level, German Dental Journal, Volume 38, 1983, pp. 268-270.
  • AG Camper, with news on life story of Peter Camper, Society Nature Research- friends to Berlin, 10 Bd, William Vieweg, Berlin, 1792, pp. 117-153, (online).
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