Henricus Gerardus Jacobus Maria Kuypers (9 September 1925 – 26 September 1989), usually more simply known as Hans Kuypers, was a Dutch

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, Biological neural network, n ...

. He was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, studied medicine at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

and was awarded a Ph.D. in 1952 by Zurich University for his work on neuroanatomy. He was training as a neurologist at Groningen when he gave it up to move to Baltimore as assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy at the

University of Maryland School of Medicine The University of Maryland School of Medicine (abbreviated UMSOM), located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S., is the medical school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Me ...

. He then moved on to

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

in Cleveland, Ohio as a full professor. In 1966 he returned to the Netherlands to be the foundation Professor of Anatomy at

Erasmus University Erasmus University Rotterdam (abbreviated as ''EUR'', nl, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam ) is a public research university located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th-century humanist ...

in Rotterdam, a position he held until 1984, when he was appointed Professor of Anatomy at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. Kuypers became a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

in 1980, this was changed into a foreign membership in 1984. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1986, his candidature citation reading " ''Distinguished for his microanatomical mapping of the neuronal networks which interconnect particular areas of the neocortex with one another and with the thalamus, brainstem and spinal cord, especially in primates. His studies have involved the correlation of focal lesions in the brain with subtle disorders of motor performance, previously undetected but now exposed and analysed in ingenious behavioural experiments. He has made adventurous use of new microanatomical methods, invented or improved by himself, in order to examine descending pathways in the brainstem, such as the double labelling of cortical neurones by fluorescent dyes with different excitation wavelengths and chemical affinities, transported by axoplasmic flow in a retrograde direction from separately injected termini. The discoveries thus made through a powerful combination of complementary techniques have stimulated much behavioural and micro-physiological experimentation in his own and other laboratories''". He died in Cambridge in 1989. He had married M.F. (Toetie) Schaap, with whom he had four daughters and two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuypers, Hans 1925 births 1989 deaths Physicians from Rotterdam Leiden University alumni University of Zurich alumni Dutch neurologists 20th-century Dutch physicians Professors of Anatomy (Cambridge) University of Maryland, Baltimore faculty University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty Academic staff of Erasmus University Rotterdam Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Royal Society Scientists from Rotterdam