Pieter van Foreest - Walkingroute Antoni
PIETER VAN FOREEST – A MODERN DOCTOR
Pieter van Foreest (1521-1597), city physician
The physician Pieter van Foreest was made city physician of Delft in 1558, a position that he held for more than 37 years. Van Foreest broke with the custom of basing his treatments on historical texts, and instead followed his own observations. He recorded these in a long series of publications. For many years after his death, many doctors continued to make use of his knowledge and skill; he was a truly modern doctor for his time.
A groundbreaking impact and the importance of clean water
During the plague epidemic (1557-1559), around…
PIETER VAN FOREEST – A MODERN DOCTOR
Pieter van Foreest (1521-1597), city physician
The physician Pieter van Foreest was made city physician of Delft in 1558, a position that he held for more than 37 years. Van Foreest broke with the custom of basing his treatments on historical texts, and instead followed his own observations. He recorded these in a long series of publications. For many years after his death, many doctors continued to make use of his knowledge and skill; he was a truly modern doctor for his time.
A groundbreaking impact and the importance of clean water
During the plague epidemic (1557-1559), around 20% of the population died. Van Foreest thought that one possible cause of the plague could be the stagnant canal water. He convinced the city government to open the sluices in order to change the water. It was not until 1674 that Van Leeuwenhoek would show with his microscopes that samples of this water contained an ‘animal world’.
Van Foreest advised the Delft city government and the national government on medical issues. He was also personal physician to William of Orange. In the international literature, he is known as the ‘Dutch Hippocrates’, after the influential Greek physician and philosopher.
The smallest house in Delft
According to the plaque on the façade of Oude Delft 147, Pieter Foreest lived in this building, the smallest house in Delft. However, according to the ‘Huizenprotocol’ – the municipal property register that was kept between 1585 and 1800 – he owned the property next door at Oude Delft 145.