F. C. Donders (1818–1889). Used by permission from the Digital Library, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
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The work of Dutch physiologist Franciscus Cornelius Donders was of great significance to early experimental psychology. Born in Tilburg, the Netherlands, on May 27, 1818, to a modest working-class family and identified early as a bright, energetic student, endearing to his teachers, he entered the University of Utrecht at the age of 17 for the study of medicine. At the same time, he became a student at the military hospital. He was awarded a medical degree in 1840 and became a military surgeon and health officer, working on hospital wards, conducting autopsies, and contributing papers to medical journals. His reputation as a brilliant medical officer landed him a position at the Military Medical School in Utrecht to lecture on physiology, anatomy, and histology (Bowman 1969).
In 1847, recognized for his outstanding abilities, Donders was...
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References
Boring, E. G. (1950). A history of experimental psychology (2nd ed.). New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Bowman, W. (1969). In memoriam F.C. Donders. In W. G. Koster (Ed.), Attention and performance II (pp. 389–408). Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Brozek, J., & Sibinga, M. S. (Eds.). (1970). Origins of psychometry. The Netherlands: B. de Graaf.
Koster, W. B. (Ed.). (1969). Attention and performance II. Amsterdam: North-Holland.
van Strien, P. (1997). Psychology in the Netherlands. In W. G. Bringmann, H. E. Lueck, R. Miller, & C. E. Early (Eds.), A pictorial history of psychology (pp. 541–547). Chicago: Quintessence.
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Behrens, P.J. (2012). Donders, F. C.. In: Rieber, R.W. (eds) Encyclopedia of the History of Psychological Theories. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0463-8_59
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