Home > Jan Swammerdam
Jan Swammerdam ( February 12, 1637 - February 17, 1680) was a Dutch scientist. He was among the first scientists to use the newly invented microscope.Swammerdam was born in Amsterdam, the son of an apothecary and naturalist. He was destined for the Church; but he preferred the profession of medicine, taking his doctor's degree at Leiden in 1667. Having necessarily to interest himself in human anatomyHuman anatomy or anthropotomy is a special field within anatomy. It studies organs and organ systems of the human body leaving the study of tissues to histology and cells to cytology. The human body, like the bodies of all animals, is made up of systems,, he devoted much attention to the preservation and better demonstration of the various structures, and he devised the method of studying the circulatory systemThe circulatory system or cardiovascular system is the organ system which circulates blood around the body of most animals. Functions Following are some basic functions of the human circulatory system: #Delivery of oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the by means of injectionIn medicine, an injection is a method of putting liquid into the body with a hollow needle and a syringe. There are generally three types of injections subcutaneous injections, intramuscular injections, and intravenous infusions. A person with Type I diabs. He also spent much time in the study of insectSubclass Apterygota Symphypleona globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Palaeodictyoptera extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata ( dragonfls, investigating the subject of their metamorphosisMetamorphosis in biology is physical development of the individual after birth or hatching involving significant change in form as well as growth and differentiation. It usually accompanies a change of habitat or of habits but may occur without such chang, and in this and other ways laying the beginnings of their natural classificationClassification may refer to: Taxonomic classification the act of placing an object or concept into a set of categories (such as a taxonomy or a subject index), based on the properties of the object or concept. A person may classify the object or concept a, while his researches on the anatomyAnatomy (from the Greek anatome from ana-temnein to cut up), is the branch of biology that deals with the structure and organization of living things; thus there is animal anatomy ( zootomy) and plant anatomy ( phytonomy). The major branches of anatomy in of mayfliesMayflies : Animalia : Arthropoda : Insecta Ephemeroptera Families Suborder Schistonota Superfamily Baetoidea Siphlonuridae Baetidae Oniscigastridae Ameletopsidae Ametropodidae Superfamily Heptagenioidea Coloburiscidae Oligoneuriidae Isonychiidae Heptageni and bees were also of great importance. His devotion to science led to his neglect of practice; his father, resenting this, stopped all supplies and thus Swammerdam experienced a period of considerable privation, which had the most unfortunate consequences to his health, both bodily and mental. In 1675 his father died, leaving him an adequate fortune, but the mischief was irreparable. He became a hypochondriac and mystic, joined the followers of Antoinette Bourignon, and died at Amsterdam.
His Algemeene Verhandeling van bloedeloose diertjens ( 1669) was published as The Natural History of Insects in English translation in 1792. This was the first important work on entomology, and described and classified hundreds of insects, arachnids and worms. His Biblia naturae, sive Historia insectorum in certas classes redacta was published after his death by Herman Boerhaave in 1737- 1738. He was also the author of Miraculum naturae, sive Uteri muliebris fabrica .
