Thomas Bartholin (; Latinized as ''Thomas Bartholinus''; 20 October 1616 – 4 December 1680) was a Danish
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
,
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
, and
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
. He is best known for his work in the discovery of the
lymphatic system
The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid ...
in humans and for his advancements of the theory of refrigeration
anesthesia
Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), ...
, being the first to describe it scientifically.
Thomas Bartholin came from a family that has become famous for its pioneering scientists, twelve of whom became professors at the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
. Three generations of the Bartholin family made significant contributions to anatomical science and medicine in the 17th and 18th centuries: Thomas Bartholin's father,
Caspar Bartholin the Elder
Caspar Bartholin the Elder (; 12 February 1585 – 13 July 1629) was a Danish physician, scientist and theologian.
Biography
Caspar Berthelsen Bartholin was born at Malmö, Malmø, Denmark (modern Sweden). His precocity was extraordinary; at thr ...
(1585–1629), his brother Rasmus Bartholin (1625–1698), and his son
Caspar Bartholin the Younger
Caspar Bartholin the Younger (; Latinized: ''Caspar Bartholin Secundus''; 10 September 1655 – 11 June 1738), was a Danish anatomist who first described the "Bartholin's gland" in the 17th century. The discovery of the Bartholin's gland is so ...
Thomas Bartholin was the second of the six sons of Caspar Bartholin the Elder, a physician born in Malmø,
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skån ...
, and his spouse Anne Fincke. Bartholin the Elder published the first collected anatomical work in 1611. This work was later augmented, illustrated and revised by Thomas Bartholin, becoming the standard reference on
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...
; the son notably added updates on
William Harvey
William Harvey (1 April 1578 – 3 June 1657) was an English physician who made influential contributions in anatomy and physiology. He was the first known physician to describe completely, and in detail, the systemic circulation and propert ...
lymphatic system
The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid ...
.
Bartholin visited the Italian botanist
Pietro Castelli
Pietro Castelli (1574–1662) was an Italian physician and botanist.
Born at Rome, he was graduated in 1617 and studied under the botanist Andrea Cesalpino (1519–1603). He was professor at Rome from 1597 until 1634, when he went to Messina. H ...
at
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in t ...
in 1644. In 1663 Bartholin bought
Hagestedgård
Hagestedgaard is a manor house and estate located at the village of Hagested, near Holbæk, Holbæk Municipality, some 60 kilometres west of Copenhagen, Denmark. The estate traces its history back to the 13th century but the current asymmetrical ...
, which burned down in 1670 including his
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...
, with the loss of many
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced i ...
s. King Christian V of Denmark appointed Bartholin as his physician with a substantial salary and freed the farm from taxation as recompense for the loss. In 1680 Bartholin's health failed, the farm was sold, and he moved back to Copenhagen, where he died. He was buried in Vor Frue Kirke (Church of Our Lady).
The ''Bartholinsgade'', a street in Copenhagen, is named for the family. Nearby is the Bartholin Institute (''Bartholin Institutet''). One of the buildings of the University of Aarhus is named after him.
Contributions to medical research
In December 1652, Bartholin published the first full description of the human
lymphatic system
The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid ...
.
Jean Pecquet
Jean Pecquet (9 May 1622, Dieppe, Seine-Maritime – 26 February 1674) was a French scientist. He studied the expansion of air, wrote on psychology, and is also known for investigating the thoracic duct. Furthermore, he studied the nature of visi ...
had previously noted the lymphatic system in
animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...
s in 1651, and Pecquet's discovery of the thoracic duct and its entry into the veins made him the first person to describe the correct route of the lymphatic fluid into the blood. Shortly after the publication of Pecquet's and Bartholin's findings, a similar discovery of the human lymphatic system was published by Olof Rudbeck in 1653, although Rudbeck had presented his findings at the court of Queen Christina of Sweden in April–May 1652, before Bartholin, but delayed in writing about it until 1653 (after Bartholin). As a result, an intense priority dispute ensued.
Niels Stensen
Niels Steensen ( da, Niels Steensen; Latinized to ''Nicolaus Steno'' or ''Nicolaus Stenonius''; 1 January 1638 – 25 November 1686anaesthesia, a technique whose invention Thomas Bartholin credits to the Italian
Marco Aurelio Severino
Marco Aurelio Severino (November, 1580 – July 12, 1656) was an Italian surgeon and anatomist.
Biography
Severino was born in Tarsia ( Calabria, Italy), of Giovanni Jacopo Severino, a lawyer. He died of plague in 1656 in Naples.
Adept of the ...
of Naples. According to Bartholin, Severino was the first to present the use of freezing mixtures of snow and ice (1646), and Thomas Bartholin initially learnt about the technique from him during a visit to Naples.
Bartholin–Patau syndrome, a congenital syndrome of multiple abnormalities produced by trisomy 13, was first described by Bartholin in 1656.
Caspar Bartholin the Elder, Thomas Bartholin's father; his brother Rasmus Bartholin; and his son Caspar Bartholin the Younger (who first described "
Bartholin's glands
The Bartholin's glands (named after Caspar Bartholin the Younger; also called Bartholin glands or greater vestibular glands) are two pea sized compound alveolar glandsManual of Obstetrics. (3rd ed.). Elsevier. pp. 1-16. . located slightly posteri ...
"), all contributed to the practice of modern medicine through their discoveries of important anatomical structures and phenomena. Bartholin the Elder started his tenure as professor at Copenhagen University in 1613, and over the next 125 years, the scientific accomplishments of the Bartholins while serving on the medical faculty of the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
won international acclaim and contributed to the reputation of the institution.
Selected works
* ''Historiarum anatomicarum rariorum ..' (Case histories of unusual anatomical and clinical structures, including descriptions and illustrations of anomalies and normal structures)
** , Amsterdam, 1654.
** . The Hague: Vlacq, 1657.
** , Copenhagen: P. Haubold, 1661 (with ''Mantissa anatomica'', by Johannes Rodius).
* ''De unicornu''. Padua, 1645.
* ''De Angina Puerorum Campaniae Siciliaeque Epidemica Exercitationes''. Paris, 1646.
* , Copenhagen: M. Martzan,
1652
Events
January–March
* January 8 – Michiel de Ruyter marries the widow Anna van Gelder and plans retirement, but months later becomes a vice-commodore in the First Anglo-Dutch War.
* February 4 – At Edinburgh, the parl ...
(Bartholin's discovery of the thoracic duct).
* ''Vasa lymphatica nuper Hafniae in animalibus inventa et hepatis exsequiae''. Hafniae (Copenhagen), Petrus Hakius, 1653.
* ''Vasa lymphatica in homine nuper inventa''. Hafniae (Copenhagen), 1654.
* ''Historarium anatomicarum rariorum centuria I-VI''. Copenhagen, 1654–1661.
* ''Anatomia''. The Hague. Ex typographia Adriani Vlacq, 1655.
* ''Dispensarium hafniense''. Copenhagen, 1658.
* ''De nivis usu medico observationes variae. Accessit D. Erasmi Bartholini de figura nivis dissertatio.'' With a book by Rasmus Bartholin. Copenhagen: Typis Matthiase Godichii, sumptibus Petri Haubold, 1661. (Contains the first known mention of refrigeration anaesthesia)
* ''Cista medica hafniensis''. Copenhagen, 1662.
* ''De pulmonum substantia et motu''. Copenhagen, 1663.
* ''De insolitis partus humani viis''. Copenhagen, 1664.
* ''De medicina danorum domestica''. Copenhagen, 1666.
* ''De flammula cordis epistola''. Copenhagen, 1667.
* ''Orationes et dissertationes omnino varii argumenti''. Copenhagen, 1668.
* ''Carmina varii argumenti''. Copenhagen, 1669.
* ''De medicis poetis dissertatio''. Hafinae, apud D. Paulli, 1669.
* ''De bibliothecae incendio''. Copenhagen, 1670.
* ''De morbis biblicis miscellanea medica''. Francofurti, D. Paulli, 1672.
* ''De cruce Christi hypomnemata IV'', Typis Andreae ab Hoogenhuysen, Vesaliae (Wesel), 1673.
* ''Acta medica et philosophica''. 1673–1680.