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Jan Swammerdam

Jan Swammerdam

1637 CE–1680 CE · Amsterdam

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.

Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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AmsterdamאמסטרדםNetherlands

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About Amsterdam

Major Sephardi/Ashkenazi printing center; home of Elazar Rokeach (Maaseh Rokeach).

In Amsterdam at the same time

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Across the traditions, in Amsterdam at the same time

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In the same place & time

Sages whose lives overlapped with Jan Swammerdam’s in the same cities, drawn from their recorded journeys.

Across the traditions

The world in their lifetime

Thinkers, teachers, and rulers whose lives overlapped with Jan Swammerdam’s — a glimpse of the wider world they lived in. Drawn purely from recorded birth and death years.

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