PubMed2001
Until the time Numan took on his professorship at the newly established Veterinary School in Utrecht in 1822, he had lived in the Province of Groningen. In order to understand why the minister of Public Education appointed a village doctor from the north of the country as professor for the practice of veteriary medicine, and after some years as director of the school, it was felt essential to investigate his earlier life period. The main sources used are two obituaries, resp. written by his son who was a professor of Law at Groningen University, and by his friend prof. Willem Vrolik who was the secretary of the Academy of Science, supplemented by family histories and some archival research. After a short description of his descent, youth adn education follows the main part devoted to his writings, his medical practice and membership of the Provincial Medical Commission and the Commission for Agriculture. In an appendix some genealogical data are presented on the family of his wife and their children. Alexander lost his father, who was a minister of the Reformed Church, when he was ten years old. He received his education in the circle of family members. A brother of his father, also a minister, teached him Greek and Latin. After this uncle had left the province, he lived in the home of another minister who teached him the modern languages. As this man was involved in politics of the Baravian Republic, young Alexander was exposed to many discussions on the polity of the State. After his mother had remarried with a medical doctor, this man, and also his brother who had a medical practice in another part of the province, complemented the education with an introduction in the sciences. Experiences in their dispensaries, where some knowledge of botany and chemistry could be obtained, and discussions when accompanying them on their visits to patients, were decisive in the choice of his profession. Only at the age of twenty he entered the Medical Faculty of Groningen University. Thanks to the elaborate preparatory studies, he was able to finish in three years. In 1804 he defended his thesis on a pharmaceutical subject. Immediately afterwards he set up practice in a village nearby the town of Groningen. He married two years later Catharina Dorothea Star Lichtenvoort, daughter of a wealthy lawyer. They had two children, a son born in 1807, and a daughter, born in 1808. Alexander built a flourishing medical and obstetrical practice, extending over a very large area, he teached apprentices in his dispensary, translated articles and a book by C.W. Hufeland and published case histories from his own practice. Several lectures given at local scientific societies were published. One deal with his thoughts on and experiences with animal magnetism, a topic very much en vogue in those days, especially in the Groningen Medical Faculty. In 1812 his translation of Allenmeines Viehazneibuch by J.N. Rohlwes was published, showing his interest in veterinary matters. As a book appeared not to be satisfatory enough for the needs of the Dutch farmers, he was invited by the board fo the 'Society for Public Welfare' (Maatschappij tot Nut van het Algemeen) to write an adapted version. This handbook (first ed. 1819) would receive many editions throughout the 19th century. This book together with his capacities as a teacher, his broad interests in medical and agricultural affairs, great scientific curiosity and appreciation by colleagues met in the several commissions made him an obvious candidate for the new post in Utrecht. Although he felt it difficult to leave his beloved homeland and terminate his practice, he felt great pride in accepting the post that would give him the opportunity to found a new discipline in his country. To be useful to society was one of the great motives of his life.