R U Y 



R U Y 



a light-houfe, for the fupply of which the boors are obliged 

 to buy the fuel on the continent, the crown allowieg them 

 towards it 40 dollars. There is no farm on the ifland ex- 

 cept that of the paftorate. Among the inhabitants, it is 

 laid, there are fome remains of the old Livonians, who (peak 

 the Runic language, alfo the Ellhnic, the Lettifh, the Swe- 

 difli, and moft commonly the German and RuSs, each with 

 facility, from their frequent intercourfe with others. In the 

 labours of the chace, and the capture of the fea-dog, they 

 are indefatigable, by which they gain an opulent Subsidence. 

 They live in great harmony, and only intermarry among 

 their own fociety. Tooke's Ruffia, vol. ii. 



RUVO, a town of Naples, in the province of Bari, the 

 fee of a bifhop ; 5 miles S. of Trani. N. lat. 41- 12'. 

 E. long. 16 28'. — Alfo, a town of Naples, in Bafilicata ; 

 18 miles S.W. of Venofa. 



RU Y, a town of France, in the department of the ISere ; 

 20 miles E. of Vienne. 



RUYSCH, Frederic, in Biography, a celebrated ana- 

 tomift and phyfician, was born at the Hague, in the month 

 of March 1638. His father was cominifl'ary of the States- 

 general, and defcended from a family of confiderable wealth 

 and importance at Amilerdam, where they had occupied 

 places of public trult for two centuries, until the Spanilh 

 war, which began in 1576, occafioned a great revolution in 

 their fortunes. The celebrity of the name, however, is built 

 upon the talents and perfonal merits of Frederic. He com- 

 menced his academical ftudies at Leyden, after being 

 grounded in grammatical learning in his native city, and ap- 

 plied himfelf with great atfiduity to the dudy of anatomy, 

 botany, and chemillry, efpecially to the practical investiga- 

 tion of thefe fciences, having conceived an early bias to the 

 profeflion of medicine. His zeal and curiolity were fo much 

 excited by the new objects which opened before him, that he 

 allowed nothing to interfere with his labours, and at length 

 the habit of experimental refearch rendered the moll labo- 

 rious inquiries a mere agreeable recreation. He repaired 

 alfo to Franeker, for the farther purfuit of his Studies ; but 

 received the degree of do£tor at Leyden, in 1664. Even 

 during his pupillage at Leyden, he was applied to by Syl- 

 vius and Van Home, to afiill them in combatting the vanity 

 of Bilfius, who came thither to exhibit his boaited method 

 of prcferving dead bodies. 



After his graduation, young Ruyfch returned to the 

 Hague, where lie married, and fettled fo heartily to the prac- 

 tice of his profeflion, as even to neglect every purfuit 

 which had not fome relation to it. In the following year, 

 1665, he publifhed his treatife on the lacteal and lymphatic 

 veflels, which contained the refult of his inquiries while en- 

 gaged in the difpute with Bilfius. In this work he does not 

 deny that the cxillence of valves in the lymphatic had been 

 noticed before, but he claims the honour of having firlt de- 

 monftrated them, and taught the method of difcovering them. 

 This ingenious tract immediately procured him reputation ; 

 and he was invited, the year after, to the chair of anatomy at 

 Amilerdam ; an invitation which he gladly accepted, on ac- 

 count of the great opportunities which it was likely to afford 

 for the profecution of his favourite refearches. Anatomy, 

 in fact, both human and comparative, henceforth conftituted 

 the principal object of his life : he fpared neither time, la- 

 bour, nor expence, for the attainment of his purpofes ; he 

 was almofl continually employed in diflcction, and not only 

 examined with the moll minute exadtnefs every organ of the 

 human body, but deviled means by which to facilitate the 

 detection and demon llration of tiie different parts, and to 



preferve and exhibit them thu de ttrated. If he were 



not the difcovercr of thcufe of injections, for the difplay of 



vafeular and other llru&ure, he contributed, together with 

 the fuggeltions of De Graaf and Swammerdam, by his own 

 ingenuity and indullry, to introduce that important practice 

 among anatomift.:. His collection of injected bodies is de- 

 fcribed, indeed, as marvellous ; the fined tillucof capillary 

 veflels being filled with the coloured fluids, fo as to reprefent 

 the frefhnefs of youth, and to imitate deep rather than death. 

 In this way he had preferved loetufes in regular gradation, 

 as well as young and adult Subjects, and innumerable animal;, 

 ot all forts and countries. His mufeum, indeed, both in 

 the extent, variety, and arrangement of its contents, be- 

 came ultimately the molt magnificent that any private indi- 

 vidual had ever accumulated, and was the refort of vifitors 

 of every defcription ; generals, ambafladors, princes, and 

 even kings, were happy in the opportunity of examining it. 

 The czar Peter, in his journey through Holland in 1698* 

 frequently dined at the frugal table of Ruyfch, in order to 

 fpend whole days in his cabinet ; and in 1717, on his return 

 to Holland, the czar purchaled it of him for 30,000 florins, 

 and lent it to Peterlburg. The indefatigable anatomilt imme- 

 diately commenced the labour of Supplying its place b 

 new collection. 



When we consider the advantages which Ruyfch pofiefled, 

 his ingenuity in devifing the means of minute inveitigation.and 

 the improbus labor by which he manufactured two collection", 

 of anatomical preparations, and investigated fuch a multitude 

 of fubjects, it will be expected that he mull have been the 

 author of Some diicoveries. He claims, indeed, and pro- 

 bably made many ; which, however 5 were not all unknown 

 to other anatomills : for his fault was a negleft of reading, 

 which rendered him often ignorant of the difcoveries of 

 others ; and therefore he fometimes gave, as new, what 

 other writers had defcribed. Among other parts which he 

 inveltigatcd minutely, were the pulmonary circulation, (in 

 which he claims the difcovery of the bronchial artery,) the 

 ftructurc of the ear, of the brain, of the lymphatic and 

 glandular fyllem. 



Ruyfch was appointed profeSTor of phyfic in 1685, apoft 

 which he filled with honour and reputation until the year 

 1728, when he unhappily broke his thigh by a fall in his 

 chamber. He was alio nominated fuperintendant of the 

 midwives at Amilerdam, in the exercife of which office he 

 introduced fome improvements in the practice of thele good 

 women ; efpecially the abolition of the habit of fpeedily ex- 

 tracting*the placenta, which he believed to be expelled by 

 an orbicular mufcle at the fundus. He was a member of 

 the Royal Society of London, and of the Academy of 

 Sciences of Paris, having Succeeded fir ISaac Newton, in the 

 latter body, in 1727. In the Same year he had the misfor- 

 tune to lofe his Son, Henry RuySch, alio doctor of phyfic, who, 

 like himfelf, was an able practitioner, well ikilhd in an.it. in , 

 and botany, and wasfuppofed to have materially alfilled him 

 in his publications, inventions, and experiments. This lols 

 was the more Severely felt, on the occurrence of the accident 

 jull mentioned, as it deprived him ot his belt alliltanee 111 

 completing the Second collection of rarities, winch lie was 

 occupied in making. His youngelt daughter, however, who 

 was Hill unmarried, and had been initiated into all the nn I- 

 teries of his anatomical experiments, was fully qualified tor 

 the talk of alliltanee which She now undertook, and he pro- 

 ceeded with his new mufeum ; retaining his general health 

 until the commencement of Che year 1731, w inn lie was car- 

 ried otf by a fever, in the ninety-third year of his age. 



Ruyfch was the author of many publications) leveral <il 



which were controverlial ; for his want of readinj . and con. 



Sequent differences with Some ol the learned oS his profeflion,! 



led him into frequent difputes. Hi. firft work, which ori- 



r G 2 giiuted 



