Theodor Kerckring

Theodor Kerckring (1640-1693) was a Dutch anatomist. Before studying medicine at Leiden University, he was a pupil at the Latin School of Franciscus van den Enden (at the same time as the philosopher Benedictus de Spinoza). Several sources reveal that he remained on good terms with Van den Enden, whose daughter Clara Maria he married in 1671. Although further details of his early life are sketchy, it is known that he spent much of his medical career prior to 1675 in Amsterdam. Afterwards he travelled throughout continental Europe, settling in Hamburg in 1678.

Kerckring is remembered for his Spicilegium anatomicum, which is an anatomical atlas of clinical observations, medical curiosities, autopsy discoveries along with general anatomical information. He is credited with describing Kerckring's ossicles, which is an occasional ossification centre in the occipital bone that appears around the 16th week of gestation. He also provided a comprehensive description of the folds of the mucous membrane of the small intestine. These anatomical folds go by several different names, including the valves of Kerckring, Kerckring's folds, plicae circulares and valvulae conniventes.