Yvo Gaukes

Who is Yvo Gaukes?

Yvo Gaukes was a prominent physician who practised at Emden and can be counted among the iatromathematicians of his time. In his best-known theoretical publication, Dissertatio de medicina ad certitudinem mathematicam evehenda he developed a medical theory on the grounds of Cartesianism, proposing sizes and shapes for the main components of the Four Humors based on these largely philosophical considerations. Gaukes also popularized Species Lignorum, a variant of the numerous Guaiacum wood extracts that had been used to treat syphilis since the late 16th century.

Most of Gaukes' works in clinical medicine, which were largely published in Groningen and Amsterdam, are limited to case reports.