[Nicolaas Bidloo, the Dutch director of the first hospital in Russia; a 300-year anniversary].

This year marks 300 years since the first Russian hospital opened its doors. The hospital was established by order of Tsar Peter the Great, and its leadership was given to a Dutchman, Nicolaas Bidloo. Bidloo came from a scientifically prominent Dutch family and was a student of Herman Boerhaave. He arrived in Russia as the personal physician of the Tsar Peter the Great. Besides directing the first Russian hospital, Bidloo also founded the first Russian medical school and authored the first Russian textbook on medical studies. In The Netherlands, little is known about Bidloo and his Russian ventures: he is viewed mainly as a nephew of Govard Bidloo, the renowned doctor and rector of Leiden University and author of a famous anatomical atlas. More attention is given to Bidloo in Russia, where he is considered one of the founders of Russian medicine.