Burchard de Volder
Burchard de Volder was a Dutch natural philosopher.
Born in a Mennonite family in Amsterdam, he first studied in Utrecht and from 1670 he studied philosophy at the University of Leiden under Franz de le Boë, completing a dissertation in 1664. Thanks to the efforts of the Volder, a physics laboratory at the University of Leiden was established in 1675. He collected measuring instruments of all kinds and performed many physics demonstrations, particularly those illustrating the discoveries of Robert Boyle. This laboratory was unique for its time. He is further famous as one of Gottfried Leibniz's most important philosophical correspondents.
De Volder's work drew many foreign students. One of his most famous students was Herman Boerhaave.
