Steven Blankaart Latinized as Stephanus Blancardus (24 October 1650, Middelburg – 23 February 1704, Amsterdam) was a Dutch physician, iatrochemist, and

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

, who worked on the same field as

Jan Swammerdam 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 (biology), egg, larva, pupa, and adult� ...

. Blankaart proved the existence of a capillary system, as had been suggested by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

, by spouting up blood vessels, though he failed to realize the true significance of his findings. He is known for his development of injection techniques for this study and for writing the first Dutch book on child medicine. Blankaart translated works of

John Mayow John Mayow FRS (1641–1679) was a chemist, physician, and physiologist who is remembered today for conducting early research into respiration and the nature of air. Mayow worked in a field that is sometimes called pneumatic chemistry. Li ...

Life

Blankaart was the son of Nicolaas Blankaart, a professor in Greek and History in

Steinfurt Steinfurt (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Steinfurt. From –1806, it was the capital of the County of Steinfurt. Geography Steinfurt is situated north-west of Münster, North Rhine-Westp ...

(1645–1650) and Middelburg (1650–1666), who moved to

Heerenveen Heerenveen (, ) is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the m ...

to become the physician of

Countess Albertine Agnes of Nassau Albertine Agnes of Nassau (9 April 1634 – 26 May 1696), was the regent of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe during the minority of her son Henry Casimir II, Count of Nassau-Dietz, between 1664 and 1679.Geert H. Janssen, Albertine Agnes van O ...

; he was appointed in Franeker in 1669. His son started as an apprentice of an apothecary. In 1674 he moved to Amsterdam after becoming a doctor of Philosophy and Medicine at the University of Franeker. Blankaart followed the principles established by

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

and was one of the first physicians to be a scientist or empiricist. In order to disprove the theory that insects originated spontaneously from filth and to demonstrate that they developed from eggs, Blankaart repeated the experiments carried out by

Francesco Redi Francesco Redi (18 February 1626 – 1 March 1697) was an Italians, Italian physician, naturalist, biologist, and poet. He is referred to as the "founder of experimental biology", and as the "father of modern parasitology". He was the first perso ...

. Blankaart used oil made from

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...

to save the insects from

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...

s, and mentioned it in his book ''Schou-burg'' from 1688. Blankaart corresponded with the mystical writer Antoinette Bourignon. He argued in one letter that an earthly

paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

would be created if there were a

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

of alcohol. He collaborated with Maria Sibylla Merian on the publication of her work. In 1682, he had married Isabella de Carpentier, the daughter of a referent from Amersfoort, and in 1683, they had one child. At that time he lived on Warmoesstraat. Blankaart was one of the first to do research on children's education and incontinence. Blankaart was a follower of

Franciscus Sylvius Franciscus Sylvius (, ; born Franz de le Boë; 15 March 1614 – 19 November 1672) was a Dutch physician and scientist (chemist, physiologist and anatomist) who was an early champion of Descartes', Van Helmont's and William Harvey's work ...

, who recommended drinking copious quantities of tea and coffee. and worked on

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

. Blankaart was living in the Leidsestraat when he died; he was buried in the

Westerkerk The Westerkerk (; ) is a Calvinism, Reformed church within Protestant Church in the Netherlands, Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the most western part of the Grachtengordel (Amsterdam), Grachtengordel nei ...

Some works

* ''Lexicon medicum graeco-latinum'' (1679)
digital edition from 1718
by the

University and State Library Düsseldorf The University and State Library Düsseldorf (, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of the three State Libraries of North Rhine-Westphalia. ...

) * (1680, 1683, 1686). * (1688), published by Cornelis Blankaart, bookseller in the Warmoesstraat. * ''Lexicon Medicum Graco Latinum'' and many other medical treatises and books on anatomy and surgery. *''Schou-Burg der Rupsen, Wormen, Maden en Vliegende Dierkens daar uit voortkomende. Door eigen ondervindinge by een gebragt''. Amsterdam, J. ten Hoorn. A work on insects titled ''Showplace of caterpillars, worms, maggots and flying things'' (1688). A number of the plates in this work show exotic butterflies. The frontispiece shows two scientists at a table studying butterflies and a number of caterpillars. * . Aus der Niederteutschen in die hochteutsche Sprache übersetzet. Leipzig, Fr. Gelditsch, 1692.Blancard, Stephan
Akupunktur und Moxa
(in German). Vialibri.net. Retrieved on 2012-06-15. * ''Den Nederlandschen herbarius'', Amsterdam, 1698. * ''The physical dictionary : Wherein the terms of anatomy, the names and causes of diseases, chyrurgical instruments and their use; are accurately describ’d. : Also the names and virtues of medicinal plants, minerals, stones, gums, salts, earths, &c. and the method of choosing the best drugs : the terms of chymistry, and of the apothecaries art ; and the various forms of medicines, and the ways of compounding them''. First published in 1684, reprints in 1693, 1697, 1702, 1708, 1715, 1726 * ''Opera Medica, theoretica, practica et clinica''. Leiden (1701) * ''Lexicon medicum renovatum''. Vol. 1 & 2. Overbeke, Lovanii (Editio novissima & ob Additiones / a Viro celeberrimo Joanne Henr. Schulzio) 1754 �
digital edition
by the

* . Wucherer, Wien 1788 �
digital edition
by the

*
(1788).
*
(1788).
*
(1788).

References

External links

*http://www.dur.ac.uk/chmd/pranghofer/phdproject/ *http://college.holycross.edu/interfaces/vol26/vasset/vasset_figure_1.htm *http://college.holycross.edu/interfaces/vol26/vasset/vasset_figure_4.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20100703213811/http://itsnt361.iowa.uiowa.edu/fmi/xsl/hardin/heirs/record_detail.xsl?-db=heirs&-lay=weblayout&ID2=711&-find {{DEFAULTSORT:Blankaart, Steven 1650 births 1704 deaths 17th-century Dutch physicians Dutch entomologists People from Middelburg, Zeeland University of Franeker alumni