Faculty of Medicine
Image from a comment by Thriverius (1592)
on the work De Re Medica Libri Octo by Celsius
KU Leuven Libraries, Special Collections, CaaA1841
The first lessons at the Faculty of Medicine were given on 18 October 1426 under the guidance of Jan van Neelen, a magister atrium and doctor in medicine born in Breda. The future physicians had already followed a training at the Faculty of Arts, and were given a further training of four years, later shortened to three years. From 1432 onwards, the classes took place in two rooms in the University Hall.
The basic corpus for the students consisted of the Aforisms of Hippocrates, the Ars parva of Galen and the Canon of Avicenna, all read in Latin translations. The classes were given by two professores primarii, the first of whom taught the res naturales and res non naturales (anatomy, physiology and hygiene) and the second the res praeter naturam (diseases and their treatment, or the so-called materia medica). From 1443 they were assisted by two professores ordinarii, who were also canons of the St. Peter's Church.
This situation in Leuven, however, with two professores primarii and two assisting ordinarii commenting on Avicenna, Galen and Hippocrates lasted for a century, until in 1543 the then head teachers at the Faculty of Medicine were dismissed in favour of Hieremias Thriverius (de Dryvere, 1514-1554). It is generally assumed that Thriverius did have some assistants, including the mathematician Gemma Frisius (1508-1555).
After the death of Thriverius there were again four professors and in 1558 a royal chair (professor regius) was also established by Philip II. These royal chairs were a novelty of the sixteenth century. They were introduced by Emperor Charles V in 1546. The holders then were professores caesarei. His son Philip II continued this policy in establishing professores regii. Another innovation was that from 1557 onwards four public dissections took place every year.
The seventeenth century began with a visitation imposed by the Archdukes Albrecht and Isabella (1607-1617). Once again, four professors were chosen: two appointed by the city and two for a royal chair. The professors taught the following subjects: theoretical medicine, practical medicine, medical institutions or Institutiones (later physiology) and anatomy and surgery. The professor responsible for the courses on surgery was equally teaching botany. During the winter, anatomical dissections took place and during the summer, the students went on nature excursions. It was not until 1663 that two professors of anatomy and botany were recruited. Even later, in 1681, a real chair of botany was created, followed in 1685 by a chair of chemistry. Both disciplines, however, were not yet subjects for the final exams.
View of the botanical garden (1833).
KU Leuven Libraries, Special Collections, TA00240.
Important changes took place after 1740, especially under the impulse of Henricus Josephus Rega (1690-1754). Practical education was now concentrated around the Minderbroedersstraat, where professors and students used of a new anatomical theatre, the botanical garden and a laboratory of chemistry.
Vopiscus Fortunatus Pemplius (1601-1671) was appointed professor of medicine around 1630.
He wrote various medical treatises in Latin and Dutch, both for students and surgeons.
KU Leuven Libraries, Special Collections, PA00044b
Hendrik Jozef Rega (1690-1754) began his academic career as a chair of chemistry (1716-1718). But he is best known for his dedication to the construction of the anatomical theatre in 1744.
KU Leuven Libraries, Special Collections, PA00131b
Sources:
Materiae promotionis: natuurwetenschap aan de Oude Universiteit Leuven. Leuven: KUL. Centrale Bibliotheek, 1997.
mainly the following contributions:
- Steven Vanden Broecke, "Wiskunde, astrologie en geneeskunde", p. 37-39
- Jan Staes, "Wetenschapsbeoefening aan de medische faculteit", p. 153-155.
Papy, Jan. "Humanist Philology as a Scientific Catalyst? The Louvain Collegium Trilingue and its Impact on Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Medicine". In: Wouter Bracke and Herwig Deumens (eds), Medical Latin from the late Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century. Brussels: Koninklijke Academie voor Geneeskunde van België, 2000, p. 31-51.
Vanpaemel, Geert. Wetenschap als roeping: een geschiedenis van de Leuvense Faculteit voor Wetenschappen. Leuven: Lipsius, 2017.