Jan Bastiaan Molewater

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Jan Bastiaan Molewater (1813–1864) was a Dutch doctor, teacher, and hospital administrator. He was the first medical director of Rotterdam’s Coolsingel Hospital (now Erasmus MC) and played a key role in starting Rotterdam’s Institute for the Deaf and Dumb. He also helped lead medical education and public health efforts in the city.

Simple overview

- Early life and education
- Born in Rotterdam to Adriaan Molewater and Johanna van Alphen.
- Studied at the Noorthey Institute (1826–1830).
- Started at Leiden University as a law student, but switched to medicine and science.
- Earned his medical degree on 1 July 1840; wrote a dissertation on typhoid fever.
- Returned to Rotterdam, built a large medical practice, and joined several scientific and cultural societies.

- Career highlights
- 1848: Appointed director of the new municipal hospital in Rotterdam (Coolsingel Hospital).
- 1851: Hospital building completed; Molewater helped design its interior. Became a lecturer in practical medicine.
- 1852: Studied surgery at Leiden and later earned a surgery doctorate.
- 1856: Led rapid care for victims of the Schiedam train accident; praised by the press.
- 1852–1853: Drove the founding of the Rotterdam Institute for the Deaf and Dumb; served as its chairman from 1853 until his death.
- He was involved in many other organizations and was knighted as a member of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

- Personal life and death
- Married Jeanne Guillemine Louise Rose on 7 May 1851; they had four daughters.
- Died in Rotterdam on 9 December 1864 after an illness, which he had sought to treat in Italy earlier that year.

- Publications
- Molewater wrote little. One notable work described Rotterdam Hospital in a 1863 volume about the city’s main buildings and institutions.

Key facts at a glance
- Occupations: Physician, lecturer, administrator
- Major role: First medical director of Coolsingel Hospital (Rotterdam)
- Founding work: Rotterdam Institute for the Deaf and Dumb
- Honor: Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
- Lifespan: 1813–1864 (Rotterdam, Netherlands)