Person

Willem Piso

1611–1678 · 17th century · Also known as Guilielmus Piso

Willem Piso was a Dutch physician and naturalist from Leiden who served as personal physician to Johan Maurits in Dutch Brazil from 1638 to 1644. He studied tropical diseases and local remedies, including ipecacuanha, and is regarded as a founder of tropical medicine. With Georg Marcgraf's material he published the Historia Naturalis Brasiliae in 1648.

Willem Piso
Image: Jan de Baen · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Dutch Brazil

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Willem Piso. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/willem-piso
MLA
“Willem Piso.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/willem-piso. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Willem Piso.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/willem-piso.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Willem Piso’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/willem-piso (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻