The Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij experienced a period of significant growth between 1988 and 2011, during which time Cornelis Nicolaas Maria Renckens served as its president. Over these two decades, he transformed the organization from a small advocacy group into a prominent national voice by challenging non-science-based medical practices through public debate and academic research.
Early Career and Tropical Medicine
Born in 1946 in Hoorn, Renckens completed his medical studies at the University of Groningen between 1963 and 1971. He performed his residency in surgery and gynaecology at St. Joseph's Hospital in Heemskerk. Following his training, he participated in the Netherlands Course on Global Health and Tropical Medicine in Amsterdam. From 1973 to 1975, he worked in Ndola, Zambia, fulfilling a requirement as an alternative to military service. During this time, he observed local practices he categorized as nonsensical and superstitious, an experience he identified as a formative influence on his professional perspective regarding the universal application of medical science.
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Upon returning to the Netherlands, Renckens focused his training on pathological anatomy at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and gynaecology at both the Wilhelmina Hospital in Amsterdam and the Elisabeth Hospital in Haarlem. He gained expertise in endoscopic surgery and infertility treatments. In 1980, he achieved registration as a medical specialist and began his tenure as a gynaecologist at the Westfries Hospital in his hometown of Hoorn. He maintained his medical practice there for three decades until his retirement in May 2011.
Opposition to Quackery
Renckens joined the Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij in 1980. After becoming president in 1988, he utilized media platforms, including a notable appearance on the satirical programme Van Kooten en De Bie in 1991, to publicise his critique of unproven medical treatments. Under his leadership, the society's membership increased from 600 to over 2,000 members. In 2004, he completed a Doctor in Medical Sciences at the University of Amsterdam with his thesis, Dwaalwegen in de geneeskunde, which examined misguided paths in medicine. His efforts in this field were formally recognized with the Hector Treub Prize in 2002 and his appointment as a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2006.
Fast facts
- Born: 29 May 1946, Hoorn
- Citizenship: Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Education: University of Groningen
- Specialisation: Gynaecology
- President of VtdK: 1988 to 2011
- Hector Treub Prize: 2002
- Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau: 2006
Questions readers ask
What was the focus of Cees Renckens' doctoral thesis?
His 2004 thesis, titled Dwaalwegen in de geneeskunde, focused on misguided paths and errors within medical practice.
Why did Cees Renckens move to Zambia in 1973?
He worked in a hospital in Ndola, Zambia, for two years as an alternative to compulsory military service in the Netherlands.
Achievements
- Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
