The great seal of truth is simplicity.

Herman Boerhaave (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɛrmɑn ˈbuːrˌɦaːvə] 31 December 1668 – 23 September 1738) was a Dutch botanist humanist and physician of European fame. Four years later he was appointed to the chair of chemistry also. Boerhaave was critical of his Dutch contemporary Baruch Spinoza attacking him in his dissertation in 1689.

He is regarded as the founder of clinical teaching and of the modern academic hospital. From 1950 to 1970 Boerhaave's image was printed on Dutch 25-guilder banknotes. His main achievement was to demonstrate the relation of symptoms to lesions.