The 17th century saw several emerging and almost simultaneous discoveries in the field of lymphology by Asselli, Pecquet, Bartholin and possibly Joliffe. However, Olof Rudbeck (1630-1708) of Sweden, a true scientific genius, who mastered botany, chemistry, physics, mathematics, astronomy, music, drawing, architecture and engineering, and became the Rector of the Faculty of Upsala, was probably the first anatomist to consider correctly the lymphatic circulation as an integrated system of the whole body.