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Jan Swammerdam

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Also known as Swammerdam, Johann Jacob Swammerdam

Dutch entomologist and beekeeper

Key facts

Born
( 1637-02-12 ) February 12, 1637, Amsterdam , Dutch Republic
Died
February 17, 1680 (1680-02-17) (aged 43), Amsterdam, Dutch Republic
Alma mater
University of Leiden
Known for
Describing erythrocytes , work on entomology
Fields
Entomology

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Given name
Jan
Gender
male
Citizenship
Dutch Republic
Place of birth
Amsterdam
Place of death
Amsterdam
Occupation
biologist
Languages spoken
Dutch
Doctoral advisor
Franciscus Sylvius
Field of work
entomology
Image
Jan Swammerdam.jpg
Work location
Amsterdam
Residence
Holland
Show 8 more facts
date of birth
1637-02-12
date of death
1680-02-17
Commons category
Jan Swammerdam
cause of death
malaria
name in native language
Jan Swammerdam
manner of death
natural causes
Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~16 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Jan Swammerdam (February 12, 1637 – February 17, 1680) was a Dutch biologist and microscopist. His work on insects demonstrated that the various phases during the life of an insect—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—are different forms of the same animal. As part of his anatomical research, he carried out experiments on muscle contraction. In 1658, he was the first to observe and describe red blood cells. He was one of the first people to use the microscope in dissections, and his techniques remained useful for hundreds of years.

Education

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Jan Swammerdam” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.