Franciscus Sylvius (1614–1672): a historical review

Abstract

The work of Dutchman Francois de le Boe—typically referred to by his Latin cognomen Franciscus Sylvius (1614–1672) (cover figure, left side)—is celebrated with two commonly used eponyms, the Aqueduct of Sylvius (cover figure, right side) and the Sylvian Fissure. While perhaps less well known today than the French anatomist of the same surname, Jacobus Sylvius (1478–1555), Franciscus Sylvius was certainly a monumental figure in his time. Born in Germany, Sylvius spent most of his career in The Netherlands and his Dutch heritage can be traced back to his paternal grandfather, a wealthy merchant originally from the town of Cambray in the Southern Netherlands. The elder de le Boe was forced to emigrate from his native homeland due to the prevailing religiopolitical climate. This was the time of the Reformation, and a great deal of tension existed between Catholics and Protestants. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his successor, Phillip II, considered the growing Protestant movement in The Netherlands worrisome, prompting the use of harsh tactics in an attempt to suppress the religion. Consequently, in 1568, the Dutch revolted against Imperial rule, beginning the Eighty Years’ War. The Southern Netherlands would remain under Catholic control for a period of time, forcing the Protestant de le Boe family to leave Cambray for Protestant Germany [6]. The German Count Philipp Ludwig II of Hanau–Muenzenberg allowed Dutch Protestants fleeing Catholic rule to settle near the town of Hanau, just east of Frankfurt. This is where the de le Boes settled, and on March 15, 1614, Sylvius was born (http://galileo. rice.edu/Catalog/NewFiles/sylvius.html). Sylvius received his education at various universities across Europe. His primary schooling was completed at the French Protestant Academy of Sedan while his medical education began at the Dutch University of Leiden in 1633. Sylvius would leave the University of Leiden in 1635 making brief visits to the German Universities ofWittenberg and Jena before finally finishing his education at the Swiss University of Basle in 1637 (http://galileo.rice.edu/Catalog/NewFiles/ sylvius.html). Sylvius’ access to the Dutch universities was fortunate because anatomy was well regarded in this region of Europe, and the University of Leiden is noted for being the first university in The Netherlands to anatomize [3]. Unfortunately, little is known regarding Sylvius’ performance as a medical student, perhaps owing to his constant movement between institutions. Despite his lack of academic renown, Sylvius was still quite successful in his endeavors. Sylvius worked for a short time as a physician in Hanau after graduating from medical school, returning to Leiden in 1638 and establishing a successful career as a private anatomy tutor. Sylvius is most noted for having instructed the Danish physician Thomas Bartholinus (1616–1680) in this capacity. It was Bartholinus, in the process of updating a medical text written by his father Caspar, who first published Sylvius’ neuroanatomical findings regarding the structure now commonly referred to as the Sylvian Fissure [6]. Sylvius was denied a position at the University of Leiden during this time, prompting the young doctor to subsequently move to Amsterdam in 1641. In Amsterdam, Sylvius again worked as a physician, and his private practice grew to some repute. More significantly, Sylvius fathered a school of medicine based on the teachings of van Helmont and others [1]. This theoretical framework, called iatrochemistry, modernized the Galenic humoral theory by integrating it with the chemical information being discovChilds Nerv Syst (2007) 23:1–2 DOI 10.1007/s00381-006-0265-6