Abraham Titsingh (1684 – September 1776) was a Dutch naval surgeon who, although poorly trained, attempted to reform the system of medicine in the Netherlands through changes in the guild of surgeons, clashing with several figures of the time including Jacobus Denys.[1]

Abraham Titsingh
Portrait of Titsingh
Born1684
DiedSeptember 1776
NationalityDutch
OccupationNaval surgeon

Biography edit

Titsingh was born in Amsterdam. His mother was of the De Grebber family while his father was a naval surgeon, who was killed in 1691 while fighting the French at sea. He received only a primary education before becoming a surgeon's apprentice at the age of eleven. Like his father, he joined the navy as a second surgeon in 1702. In 1710, he returned to Amsterdam and after passing an examination received a license to practice in 1711. He found the surgeon's guild to be corrupt and wrote a book on the abuses in 1730. He headed the guild from September 1731 and attempted to improve the system. He published many books, including on medical treatment in maritime voyages.[2][3][4]

References edit

  1. ^ "Abraham Titsingh - Digital Collections - National Library of Medicine". collections.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  2. ^ Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek. Vol. 3. Leiden: A.W.Sijthoff's Uitgevers-Maatschappij. 1914. pp. 1240–1241.
  3. ^ Prakken, J.R. (1977). "De strijdlustige chirurg Abraham Titsingh asl venereoloog". Ned. Tijdschr. Geneeskd. [The militant surgeon Abraham Titsingh as venereologist] (in Dutch). 121 (2): 67–70.
  4. ^ "Portrait of Abraham Titsingh (1684-1776), Surgeon in the Dutch Navy". philamuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-12-17.