Gerard van Swieten (May 7, 1700 – June 18, 1772) was a Dutch-Austrian physician.
Van Swieten was born in Leiden. He was a pupil of Herman Boerhaave and became in 1745 the personal physician of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. In this position he implemented a transformation of the Austrian health service and medical university education. He founded a botanical garden, a chemical laboratory and introduced clinical instruction. Since 1745 he was also librarian for Maria Theresa in what was then the Imperial Library.
Read more about Gerard Van Swieten: As Reformer, Vampires, Family, Honors
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