• 1 His birth and the beginning of his education
• 2 The amputation and the Phantom Limb
• 3 His career and the influence of Ruysch and Spinoza
• 4 The Return to Leuven and his death

On April 24th, 1648 Philip Verheyenin Borringe (better known as Philip Verheyen) was born to a poor family of farmers in a small town outside St. Niklaas at the border of Verrebroek and Meerdonk, in Belgium. As the only son of a farmer he was trained in Agriculture during his early years. Little is known of his childhood other than the fact that he completed his schooling at the local church of St. Laurentius in Verrebroek.

The pastor of the village took him under his wing and he was sent to Leuven in 1672 where he spent three years at Heilige-Drievuldigheidscollege. He began his studies in the arts department, proving to be a talented draftsman. It was here that he was first introduced to anatomy drawing, copying Vesalius's 15th century woodblock prints and plaster reproductions of Greek and Roman antiquity. It was also at this time that he learnt the technique of etching, which he put to use in his famous book, Corporis Humani Anatomia (1693).

Concluding his studies in the arts in 1675 Verheyen went on to study theology with the intention of following in the footsteps of his mentor and joining the clergy to become a priest. It was at this crucial juncture that an illness resulted in the amputation of his left leg rendering him unfit for the clergy. This event proved to be of utmost importance to the subsequent path he chose. [1]

Amputations were quite common during this period and were performed in order to prevent disease and infection that could not otherwise be cured, from spreading. It is also important to state here that the surgeon who performed Verheyen's amputation in Leiden had been a student of the anatomist Frederik Ruysch and on the patient's insistence had preserved his amputated leg for possible further study at a later date. Though the exact techniques used for preservation were a carefully guarded secret, the injection fluids he used to replace the perishable body fluids probably included talc, tallow of white wax, cinnabar and oil of lavender. Once the leg was injected, it was placed in a container of liquor balsamicus or Nantic brandy and black pepper, which permanently prevented decomposition. It is thought that Verheyen's strong religious views made him deeply suspicious of burying one part of his body before the remainder was ready for the same fate. [6]

Having severed off the infection that could very well have cost Verheyen his life he was confronted with a new quandary - something he never spoke of openly during his many years as an anatomist. Philip Verheyen began to experience what is now termed as a "Phantom limb" - a feeling that the missing limb is still attached to the body and is moving appropriately with other body parts. He also began to experience phantom pains that occur when the missing limb causes discomfort (Some other sensations include warmth, cold, itching, squeezing and burning. The missing limb often feels shorter and may feel as if it is in a distorted and painful position.) Sensations which in many ways prompted him to take up a career in anatomy in order to probe and understand this phenomenon and also write the deeply personal series of notes (1700-1710) that may be translated either as "Notes on My Amputated Leg," or "Letters to My Amputated Leg, "the former seeming more probable, while the latter is more in keeping with the tone of the notes. [2]