Thomas Bartholin

Thomas Bartholin ( born October 20, 1616 Copenhagen, † December 4, 1680 ) was a Danish physician, anatomist, mathematician and theologian. He is considered the greatest anatomist of his time and as the discoverer of the lymphatic system.

Life

Thomas Bartholin was the second of six sons of the physician and theologian Caspar Bartholin the Elder, who formed an important dynasty in the 17th century Danish scientist: 12 members of the family were professors at the University of Copenhagen. After the death of his father, his brother Olaus Wormius took over ( Ole Worm, 1588-1654 ), also a professor of medicine, caring for him.

In 1634 he began to study theology. Three years later he undertook, with the support of the king and Worms, a nine-year study trip through Europe with stops at the Universities of Paris, Leiden, Basel, Montpellier and Padua. In Leiden he decided in 1637 to change over to medicine. There he worked on as a student of John de Wale (also John de Waal and John Walaeus; 1604-1649 ) mainly with the lymphatic vessels and the theory of blood circulation William Harvey. De whales inspired him to develop a new improved version of the founded by his father anatomy textbook, which was published with the support of de Franciscus Sylvius and whales. This issue into account the work of Harvey and Gaspare Aselli first time.

Ole Worm Bartholin recommended to focus on the anatomy. Bartholin went to Basel, where he received his doctorate in 1645 for medicine. In 1646 he returned to Copenhagen back, was a professor of philosophy and also taught mathematics and philology. In 1649 he married Else Christoffer Datter. One of their children, Caspar Bartholin the Younger was also a famous anatomist. Another son, Thomas Bartholin the Younger, was an important collector of Icelandic and Danish manuscripts and is considered the founder of the science of Scandinavian history. 1649 took over from Bartholin Simon Pauli professor of anatomy at the Medical School. Several times he was the rector of the university.

Bartholin suffered from tuberculosis, but recovered by traveling to Orléans, Montpellier and Padua. For this he suffered subsequent to a severe kidney stone disease, which is why he gave in 1656 his teaching obligations. 1661, he was elected an honorary professor, what exempt him from all academic obligations.

Acquired the estate in 1663 Bartholin Hagestedgaard, 75 km from Copenhagen, and recovered there. He had considered most physicians of his time in Denmark a very good contact with the Danish king and initiated the 1672er decree on the organization of the Danish health care system. Bartholin in 1675 was assessor of the Supreme Court and rejected for this reason a reputation as a professor of anatomy at the University of Padua from. Physiologically hit hard, Bartholin sold Hagestedgaard 1680 and returned to Copenhagen. Long after his death, he and his family were ennobled in 1731.

Services

With the indulgence of the king, Bartholin led dissections on human corpses. He discovered in humans the thoracic duct, a Lymphsammelstamm, which had already been observed a few years earlier by Jean Pecquet in dogs. Bartholin beforschte at this time intensive lymphatic vessels and their relation to the blood vessels. Bartholin's most significant discovery is the lymphatic system as a separate organ system. He described in Scripture " Vasa lymphatica nuper hafniae in animalibus inventa et hepatis exsequiae " (1653). Since this discovery, the date was indicated only on the 28th February without year, claimed Olof Rudbeck ( 1630-1702 ), this discovery for himself, because he had made in April 1652. It is however accepted that the discovery year was 1652 and Bartholin this discovery thus made ​​two months before Rudbeck.

In 1673 he founded the first Danish scientific journal, Acta medica et philosophica hafniensa.

With the Bartholinsgade a street in Copenhagen is named after the family Bartholin. Near this is the Bartholin Institute ( Bartholin Institutet ).

Works

• Thomae Bartholini De unicornu observationes novae. Secunda Editione auctiores & emendatiores / editae a Filio Casparo Bartholino. Amstelaedami: apud Henr. Wetstenium, 1678th Digitized edition of the University and State Library Dusseldorf