Jacobus Schroeder van der Kolk

Who was Jacobus Schroeder van der Kolk?

Jacobus Ludovicus Conradus Schroeder van der Kolk was a Dutch anatomist and physiologist and an influential researcher into the causes of epilepsy and mental illness.

Schroeder van der Kolk's father's surname was Van der Kolk, but he added his mother's maiden name "Schroeder" when her line threatened to die out. He studied medicine at the University of Groningen, where he graduated in 1820. He then practiced medicine in Hoorn and was soon after appointed at the Amsterdam Buitengasthuis hospital. Here Schroeder van der Kolk was influenced by the ideas of Claude François Lallemand and developed his ideas with regards to the etiology of mental illness, particularly the concept that mental illness is a disease than can be treated. He was appointed professor of anatomy and physiology at the University of Utrecht in 1826, where he taught gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. In Utrecht, Schroeder van der Kolk's pupils included Franciscus Donders, Hermann Snellen and Barend Joseph Stokvis.

He published over 100 papers on various medical topics. In 1859 he delivered the Sydenham lecture at the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries in London.