Quick Facts
- Coiter also spelled:
- Coyter, or Koyter
- Born:
- 1534, Groningen, Neth.
- Died:
- 1590?
- Subjects Of Study:
- bone
- meningococcal meningitis
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Volcher Coiter
Dutch physician
Also known as: Volcher Coyter, Volcher Koyter
Volcher Coiter (born 1534, Groningen, Neth.—died 1590?) was a physician who established the study of comparative osteology and first described cerebrospinal meningitis. Through a grant from Groningen, he studied in Italy and France and was a pupil of Fallopius, Eustachius, Arantius, and Rondelet. He became city physician of Nürnberg (1569) and later entered military service as field surgeon to Johann Casimir, the palatine prince.
Coiter’s researches included postmortem studies. He described human embryology as well as the comparative osteology of animals and illustrated his own work. He also investigated the sense organs and the nervous system.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.