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of his father, to qualify himfelf for the miniftry : and that 

 he might rehtvc his patron from a part of his expence, for 

 his fullcnance, he gave private leffons to the Undents in ma- 

 thematics, and litre probably laid the foundation of that 

 excellence in the art of co-iimunicating knowledge by lec- 

 tures, for which he in time became fo celebrated. In 1690, 

 he took his degree in philofophy, and gave for his inaugural 

 thefis, " De diftinftione mentis a corpore," in which he re- 

 futes, in a folid and jndxioub manner, the errors of Hobbs 

 and Spinofa. This, however, did not prevent his being fuf- 

 pefted of Spiiiofifm, which made him quit his intention of 

 entering into th-.- fervice of the chnrch, and turn his mind 

 to medicine, particularly to the ftudy of chemiftry, as more 

 futted to the activity of his dilpofition. To acquire a know- 

 ledge of anatomy, he read the works of Velalius, Fallopius, 

 and Bartholine, and attended diffedions under Nuck. In 

 medicine, he lludied Hippocrates, and the reft of the 

 Greek and Latin writers in fucceUion, but returned to Hip- 

 pocrates, whofe works were always mentioned by him with 

 veneration. Among -the moderns, he gave the preference to 

 our countryman Sydenham, whom he called the Divine Sy- 

 denham. 



Tlius quahfied, in 1693, being 25 years of age, he was 

 admitted by the univerlity of Harder wyck, in Gucldeilajid, 

 to the degree of doftor in medicine. His thefis on this oc- 

 calion was " Dc utihtate explorandorum excrementorum in 

 jsgris, ut fignum." To the urine he paid the greateft at- 

 tention. He now applied to the praftice of medicine, from 

 which, however, he is faid to have derived but little profit. 

 As his praftice, therefore, employed but a fmall portion of 

 his time, he had leifure for examining all the theories of me- 

 dicine which had prevailed, in fucceflion, from the earUeft 

 time, and of forming from them a theory, if far from per- 

 feft, much lefs exceptionable than any that had preceded it ; 

 and which, when matured, fuperleded them, and became the 

 reigning doclrine over all Europe for more than half a cen- 

 tury. Urelincourt, who had long been profeflbr of the 

 theory of medicine, dying in 170J, the univerfity of Leyden 

 feized the opportunity this event atforded them of attaching 

 him further to that place, by placing him in the vacant chair. 

 This they were prompted to by gratitude as well as by pru- 

 dence ; Boerhaave having refufed an advantageous olTer of 

 fpttling at the Hague, and, though in no public office or 

 capacity, he had already acquired a confiderable reputation, 

 and drawn a great many foreigners to Leyden, to hear his 

 leftures in chemiftry. On the occafion of this promotion he 

 read his " Oratio de cominenda:;do ftudio Hippocratico." 

 In Hippocrates, he particularly admired the correftnefs of 

 his defcrlptions and hillories of dileafes, liis patience in at- 

 tendi'ig to the indications of nature, or the coiiilitution, to 

 which, with little interference, he frequently committed tht 

 cure of the difeafe, and his honeft and iincere account of the 

 termination of the difeafe, whether in health or death. In this 

 he has not been al .vays followed by writers of cafes. In i 703, 

 be was invited to accept a profeifor's chair at Groningen ; 

 but as he had refufed, when much lefs known, an eftablifnment 

 at the Hague, he had no difficulty, now that his fame was 

 more extended, and pupils were flocking to him from all 

 parts, in rejefting this offer. The univerfity at Leyden 

 thought it neceffary to reward this frelh proof of his attach- 

 ment to the country, by augmenting his falary. About this 

 time he delivered his " Oratio de ufu ratiocinii mechanic! 

 in m.edicina." Thefe compofitions were all publilhed ; and 

 as they were drawn up, and poliflied with care, they doubt- 

 lefs contributed in extending the fame of our profeffor over 

 Europe. On the death of Peter Hotton, curator of the 

 univerfity garden, in I 709, he was appointed his fucceffor, 

 and made profeffor of botany . He now read his " Oratio qua 



3 



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rep\irgat« medicinx facilis afferitur fimplicitas;" fhewing that 

 the knowledge of medicine would be eafieft obtained by avoid- 

 ing hypothefes, and attending to fads and obfervations ; 

 aiid that difeafes would be more certainly cured by ufing 

 only a few choice and fimple medicines, than by the hetero- 

 geneous compofitions then in vogue. He now, in addition 

 to his other ftudies, employed himfelf f-rduloufly in acquir- 

 ing a more extended knowledge of plants ; and this conti- 

 nued to be his amuftment and delight to the end of his life. 

 " Often have I fetn," Haller fays, " the good old man, 

 moving llowly along the garden, at a very early hour in the 

 morning, attending to the culture of the numerous exotics 

 he had introduced there, claffing and arranging them for 

 his leiflures." One year only after being appointed pro- 

 feffor in botany, he publillied '' Index plantarum quas in 

 horto Lugduno Batavo reperiuiitur," 8vo. This work was 

 re-publiilied by him in 1720, much enlarged and improved, 

 including a hiftory of the garden, 2 vols. Svo. In 1709, ap- 

 peared his " Aphorifnii de cognofcendis et curandis mor- 

 bis," Svo.; " aureus in fummabrevitate libellns," Haller fays. 

 A work univcrfally read and admired, on which baron Van 

 Swieten, his illuftrious pupil, who had attended his inftruc- 

 tions for near twenty years, publilhed his Commentaries, in 

 1742, extending it to five vohunes in 4to. About the fame 

 time he publifiied his " Iiiftitutiones rei medic<e in ufus an- 

 nux exercitationis domefticse," Svo. Thefe two works, 

 the one treating of the hiftory and cure of difeafts, the other 

 of the phyfiology of the human body, improved and en- 

 larged at different times by the author, have pafTed through 

 numerous editions, and have been printed in every country, 

 and tranflated into every language in Europe. Schulten 

 fays, there is a verfion of them alfo in the Arabic. Boer- 

 haave was now in the zenith of his reputation, and had fuch 

 a confluence of ftudents from a.U parts of the world, as 

 never probably before occurred to any one profeffor. He 

 gave leftures on the theory of medicine, in botany, and in 

 chemiftry, and delivered them with fuch clearnefs and 

 precifion, as to till his pupils with equal aftoniflimcnt and 

 delight. Haller, who was two years under his tuition, 

 fpeaks of hini with enthufiafm. •' Vix lui parcm habuit." We 

 have hardly fince fcen, and perhaps ma;- never again fee his 

 equal. In 1714, he was made rector of the univerfity. On 

 laying down this ofBce at the end of the year, he read his 

 difcourfe " De comparando certo in phyfici^" It is only 

 to be acquired, he fays, by e:^periment, and by a careful and 

 minute examination of natural objetts. Bidloo dying at this, 

 time, he was advanced to the chair of profeffor in the 

 praftice of medicine ; and, on the death of Le Mort, in 

 17 iS, he was made profeffor of chemiftry. He was now at 

 the head of every branch of medicine ; and his pupi.'s were be- 

 come fo numerous. Dr. Matty fays, that Leyden was fcarcely 

 fufficieutly capacious to contain them. In addition to thefe 

 numerous vocations, he was frequently confuited, in cafes of 

 difficulty and danger, by phyficiars in ail parts of the v/orld. 



With thefe advantages, it will not excite furprife, that 

 his wealth ihould accumulate and become extremely abun- 

 dant. As his diet was frugal and fparing, and he was plain 

 in his apparel, he has been accufed of being too parfimo- 

 nious ; but it fliould be confidercd, that attached as he was 

 to fcience, and immured in bufincfs of fuch variety and ma"- 

 nitude, he had no time for expence or luxury, except in 

 what regarded the improvement of fcience. In procuring 

 rare and valuable books, and in colleding plants from diftant 

 countries for his garden, he fpared, we are told, no expence. 



In 1718, Boerhaave had publilhed " De Chemfa, fuos 

 errores expurgante," which was all he purpofed giving on 

 thatiubjed; but fome of his pupils having, at the inftiga- 

 tion, he fays, of the bookfellers, ventured to print, in his 



name, 



