Search results
Jan or Johannes Swammerdam (February 12, 1637 – February 17, 1680) was a Dutch biologist and microscopist. His work on insects demonstrated that the various phases during the life of an insect—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—are different forms of the same animal.
Jan Swammerdam (baptized Feb. 12, 1637, Amsterdam—died Feb. 15, 1680, Amsterdam) was a Dutch naturalist, considered the most accurate of classical microscopists, who was the first to observe and describe red blood cells (1658).
Learn about Jan Swammerdam's life and work, his discoveries in anatomy and development, and his mystical and experimental philosophy. This site contains information, links and a book recommendation by Matthew Cobb.
May 21, 2018 · Learn about the life and work of Jan Swammerdam, a Dutch biologist who studied insects, respiration, and the uterus. Find out how he challenged Aristotelian and Cartesian ideas and influenced later scientists.
Oct 31, 2007 · Learn about the life and work of Jan Swammerdam, a Dutch physician and naturalist who developed the preformation theory based on his studies of insects and frogs. Find out how he used microscopes, wax injections, and dissection to challenge the ideas of spontaneous generation and metamorphosis.
Trained as a doctor in the prestigious new university of Leiden, Swammerdam was one of a group of highly talented students that included de Graaf (1641-1673), Stenson (1638-1686) and Ruysch (1638-1728), each of whom made a major contribution to science.
In 1670, inspired by Malpighi's study of the silkworm, Swammerdam began to dissect insects under a primitive but very powerful single-lens microscope. This led to a series of astonishing investigations of insect anatomy and development, including a remarkable study of the bee.
