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A Study of Frederik Ruysch

Antonie M. Luyendijk-Elshout, MD

JAMA. 1970;212(1):121-126.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Man never ceases to confront the mystery of death. According to the particular cultural pattern, Death may represent a merciless enemy or a welcome friend—a grinning skeleton wielding his scythe or, wrapped in a long cloak, a serene attendant waiting patiently at the bedside of the dying.

Today, as our medical knowledge increases, Western man has to a great extent lost contact with death as a daily reality. The borderline between life and death is continually pushed back, and becomes less and less sharp. Death is in discredit, and we even tend to deny its inevitability. Belief in the hereafter, in a better life to come as a reward for the suffering of this world, are concepts disappearing from Western thought.

Not so in the 17th century, when Death was everywhere a familiar and daily guest. Epidemics raged, life expectancy was short and child mortality was high. Therapeutic resources were . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Leiden, the Netherlands.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to the Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Leiden, the Netherlands (Dr. LuyendijkElshout).

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