Gerard Van Swieten

Gerard van Swieten was born in Leiden in 1700 to Thomas van Swieten and Elisabeth Loo. He studied at Leiden University under Herman Boerhaave, whose clinical teachings he later published across five volumes. In 1745, he became the personal physician to Austrian Empress Maria Therese, who aimed to update the medical knowledge within the empire. He led a number of reforms at the University of Vienna which improved its delivery of medical education. He died in Vienna in 1772.