THE ILLUSTRIOUS BOERHAAVE. 113 



was banishment from town for a term of years, and deprivation 

 of academic privileges. 



After receiving his philosophical degree, Boerhaave entered 

 upon his theological studies. He delighted, he tells us, in the 

 primitive fathers, whom he highly reverenced for the purity and 

 simplicity of their doctrine, for the sanctity of their instruction, 

 and for the perfection of their lives, dedicated to God ; but he had 

 no patience with the efforts of the schoolmen to make the sacred 

 writings conform to the metaphysical abstractions of Plato, Aris- 

 totle, Aquinas, Scotus, and Descartes, with the confusion ensu- 

 ing, and with an outcome, as he regarded it, contrary to peace 

 with God and man. Independent judgment, it may be stated, 

 was not favorably regarded in those days by the orthodox in 

 Holland. 



Meantime, to aid in his support, Boerhaave received a small 

 number of pupils for private instruction, and, contemporaneously 

 with his religious exercises, he took up the study of anatomy as a 

 diversion. To him the works of Vesalius, of Fallopius, and of 

 Bartholin were of absorbing interest. He attended likewise the 

 dissections of Prof. Nuck, and with the true scientific spirit, 

 eager for personal observation, he frequented slaughterhouses, and 

 sought to increase his knowledge by vivisections. Anatomy was 

 then to the student a revelation, and not a compulsory task. 

 Chemistry, too, with the hopes it inspired of new and wonderful 

 discoveries, filled him with splendid dreams. 



Thus it came to pass that while loyal to his father's wish that 

 he should devote his life to the ministry, and though still believ- 

 ing that his duty lay in that direction, he decided that he would, 

 in addition to his theological studies, take a degree in medicine. 

 For that purpose he entered the University of Harder wick, and 

 in July, 1693, was made a Doctor of Physic. There now occurred 

 to him one of those accidents which happen to most men at some 

 time in their career by which the nature of their life's work is 

 determined for them independently of their volition. On his 

 way home from Harderwick a discussion was started on the 

 passage-boat about the doctrines of Spinoza as subversive of 

 all religion. Now, the universal education which was the glory 

 of Holland bred a goodly number of blatherskites as well as 

 famous scholars. One of the former was filling the air with loud 

 invectives against the great philosopher ; whereupon Boerhaave 

 quietly asked him whether he had ever inspected the works of the 

 author he decried. The clamorous orator, Burton tells us, was 

 struck dumb. Inquiry was at once made as to the name of the 

 troublesome student, and, after their arrival in Leyden, it was 

 soon current gossip that Boerhaave had become a Spinozist. 

 Strong opposition was organized to his receiving a license to 



