The Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis is a

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, that specialises in

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...

: the diagnosis and treatment of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. The hospital forms one half of a combined organisation with the

Netherlands Cancer Institute The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) in Amsterdam was founded in 1913 by, among others, the surgeon Jacob Rotgans. The NKI, together with the Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis, is formed into the NKI-AVL, which combines a scientific research inst ...

(NKI), the NKI-AVL. The NKI-AVL is located in Amsterdam-Slotervaart at the Plesmanlaan next to the

Slotervaartziekenhuis Slotervaartziekenhuis was a hospital in the Slotervaart neighbourhood of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It went into administration in October 2018, and was closed within days. History It was founded in 1975 as a municipal general hospital. It was ...

and the Amsterdam blood bank (Sanquin). The hospital is named after Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723), who is primarily known in the medical community as one of the first successful developers of

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory equipment, laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic ...

History

Surgeon and professor Jacob Rotgans, publisher J.H. de Bussy and pathology professor W.M. de Vries took the initiative in founding the hospital in 1913, right after the formation of the Netherlands Cancer Institute. A national

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

campaign was held for a new oncological institute. By 26 May 1914, 315,000 Dutch guilders had been raised, that were partially invested in founding a clinic named the "Antoni van Leeuwenhoek-huis" at the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. Initially, there was room for a maximum of seventeen patients. In 1929, the organisation relocated to the former Military Hospital at the Sarphatistraat. After all NKI research departments had been established in Slotervaart since 1979, the hospital was moved there as well.

References

External links

Official website

Historad. 100 jaar radiotherapie in het Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1913-2016)
Hospitals in the Netherlands Cancer hospitals Organisations based in Amsterdam Antonie van Leeuwenhoek {{Europe-hospital-stub