Theodor Zwinger

Theodor Zwinger the Elder (2 August 1533 – 10 March 1588) was a Swiss physician and Renaissance humanist scholar. He made significant contributions to the emerging genres of reference and travel literature. He was the first distinguished representative of a prominent Basel academic family. Zwinger studied at the Universities of Basel, Lyon, and Paris before taking a doctorate in medicine at the University of Padua. He joined the faculty of the University of Basel in 1559, holding chairs in Greek, Ethics, and Theoretical Medicine. Initially opposed to Paracelsus, he later engaged with Paracelsian medical theory. Zwinger was the editor of the early encyclopedia "Theatrum Humanae Vitae" (editions 1565-1604), considered a comprehensive collection of knowledge for its time.