Malacologie in de Nederlanden: een kort historisch perspectief

The history of malacology in the Netherlands (and Belgium) is briefly sketched for the period from the 17th to the early 20th century. Jan Swammerdam is highlighted as the first true Dutch malacologist doing anatomical research. His work was only published more than 60 years after his death. If we turn to the 19th century, we see the formation of several malacological societies in countries surrounding the Netherlands, the first being established in Belgium in 1863 as the Société Malacologique de Belgique. This society, however, was transformed into a zoological one in the early 20th century, while in the Netherlands the Zoological Society was founded in 1872 and the Malacological Society only arose in 1934.