SUMMARY
Job Baster (1711-1775) was born at Zierikzee (Netherlands). Some of
his school years were spent at Rotterdam. After that he studied medicine
at Leiden (1728-1731), taking his doctor's degree in 1731 on a thesis
,,De Osteogenia". After having visited Paris and London he settled in his
native town and soon acquired great fame as a practising physician.
In addition to various medical problems he studied the local fauna and
flora in the environs of Zierikzee. These observations were published as
articles in scientific journals or in his book „Opuscula subseciva" (Nether
lands edition: Natuurkundige Uitspanningen) (1759-1765).
Baster was a fellow of the Royal Society, a member of the Leopoldina
(Germany) and of two Dutch scientific societies, the Hollandsche Maat
schappij der Wetenschappen at Haarlem, and the Zeeuwsch Genootschap
der Wetenschappen at Middelburg.
He corresponded on scientific matters with many contemporary scientists
in the Netherlands and abroad.
At the age of 53 he became blind in his left eye. Henceforth he had to
give up microscopical investigations but he could still read well. He now
undertook to translate into Dutch various English, German and Latin medi
cal and biological publications.
His translation of Philip Miller's „Gardeners Kalendar" was particularly
well received.
From various letters and other documents, published and unpublished,
the authors have written an annotated biography. It is followed by lists of
(1)Baster's original publications, (2) the translations which he prepared,
and (3) the papers in which his work is discussed.
70
