Herboristen, een farmaceutisch deelberoep in Nederland onder de Franse wetgeving (1811-1814)

Herbalists. A farmaceutical subprofession in the Netherlands under French medical law (1811-1814) In 1811 the Netherlands became part of the French Empire, with the result that French Medical Law took effect here. The medical sub-profession 'herboriste' (herbalist), well known in France, became now also a medical profession in the Netherlands. About ninety Dutch herbalists are mentioned on the French official lists of all persons admitted to medical practice. In this article we discuss the activities of this professional group. We also tried to find out what the activities of the herbalists were before 1811 and what became of them after the restoration of Dutch independence in November 1813. According to the French registration lists almost all herbalists were established in the main cities in the western part of the Netherlands. It turned out that many of them were former chemists, and obviously — this in contrast with the situation in France — there was no big difference between their activities as a chemist and as a herbalist. Only, as herbalists they had a medical qualification, and that may have been the reason why chemists became herbalists. After the restoration French Medical Laws were abolished, and in 1818 a new Health Legislation was proclaimed. In this Act chemists were recognized as a medical subprofession. On the first registration lists a great number of the former herbalists are mentioned as chemists.