"Anatomy lesson of Frederik Ruysch" of 1670: a tribute to Ruysch's contributions to lymphatic anatomy

BACKGROUND: Frederick Ruysch was one of the most prominent Dutch physicians of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. For more than 65 years, he was the Praelector Anatomiae (Lecturer of Anatomy) of the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons. During his career, he conducted many dissections at the guild's theatre to teach anatomy. Ruysch was internationally renowned for his great dissection skills and his innovative techniques for preserving anatomical specimens. The "Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Frederik Ruysch" painted in 1670, is thought to be a group portrait undertaken to commemorate the officials of the Guild of Surgeons. Ruysch was portrayed performing an anatomical dissection of inguinal lymph nodes on the corpse of an executed criminal. This portrait is one of the earliest paintings focusing on the "lymphatic system."

METHODS: We investigated the medical background of the painting by revisiting Ruysch's original work from the mid-seventeenth century. His contributions to the early history of "lymphatic anatomy" are assessed and interpreted from the perspective of the renewed interest in "lymphatic imaging" today.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Frederik Ruysch should be considered one of the pioneers contributing to the early knowledge of the lymphatic system. He succeeded in dissecting the lymphatic vessels and valves with the aid of his innovative dissection and preservation techniques. The famous group portrait of the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons with Ruysch demonstrating the lymph nodes pays tribute to his work on which we still rely today.