Education
He studied and took his degree of doctor of medicine at Leiden in 1731, and Albrecht von Haller has thought his thesis, De Osteogenia, worthy of a place in his collection.
He studied and took his degree of doctor of medicine at Leiden in 1731, and Albrecht von Haller has thought his thesis, De Osteogenia, worthy of a place in his collection.
Professors like Herman Boerhaave trained him in scientific methods and he learned to how study natural phenomena. Afterwards he settled as a physician in his native town Zierikzee. In 1738 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society in London on recommendation of Boerhaave and Willem "sGravesande.
Baster was a versatile scientist, in addition to his work as a physician he contributed papers about medicine, horticulture and marine biology to the Philosophical Transactions and the Verhandelingen der Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen.
He also maintained a vast correspondence with leading biologists of his time. In Holland he was famous for his introduction of the goldfish (Kin-Yu) and his translation of Philip Miller"s work on horticulture.
Royal Society.