The Jan IngenHousz Institute takes its name from 18th-century Dutch physician and chemist Jan IngenHousz. Born in Breda, he studied medicine at the University of Leuven and moved to England soon after graduation.

 

With his idea of using inoculation against smallpox not individually but in groups, he became an important force behind the immunization campaign. He treated George III's court, but also the village of Hertfordshire. As a mark of gratitude, he became the king's personal physician. He later travelled to Vienna to inoculate the family of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa and subsequently served as court physician.

 

After his rise to fame, IngenHousz had plenty of time to do research and built on the work of Joseph Priestley whose famous experiments under glass jars led him to discover that plants use light energy to grow. IngenHousz discovered that this ability is located in the green parts of plants. He also discovered that plants do not purify air, as was assumed until then, but produce pure air (oxygen) themselves.

 

Collaboration, diligence and integrity were important values for IngenHousz. He is remembered today as an open and critical global citizen, a social man with an international outlook. These are the values on which the Jan IngenHousz Institute aims to build further.