Volcher Coiter

(Coyter, Koyter). Born 1534 in Groningen, Netherlands; died June 2, 1576, in Brienne, France. Dutch anatomist and physician.

In 1555, Coiter began to study in Italy and France; from 1562 he was in Bologna, where, after receiving his doctoral degree, he taught anatomy and surgery. In 1566 he was arrested by the Inquisition as a Protestant. After his release he left for Germany and worked as a physician in Amberg (from 1566) and Nuremberg (from 1569). He was a surgeon in the war against France. Coiter was one of the first anatomists and embryologists. He was the first to give a scientific description of the development of the chick embryo (1572), and he conducted comparative studies of the anatomies of many vertebrates (amphibians, birds, and mammals), sketching their skeletons.