Jan de Doot Sculpture

Near the centre of Oss stands a small sculpture commemorating Jan de Doot, a local 17th-century blacksmith who performed self-surgery to remove a bladder stone — and lived. It is a peculiar piece of civic pride: most towns honour their mayors or generals; Oss chose a man who was simply very stubborn about his own healthcare.

The sculpture is unassuming in scale but the story behind it is remarkable enough to make it one of the more memorable stops in the town centre. It sits within easy walking distance of the Grote Markt and makes for an easy detour on any circuit of the centre.

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A story
In 1651, Oss blacksmith Jan de Doot developed an excruciating bladder stone. Unable to afford a surgeon — or perhaps unwilling to wait for one — he operated on himself with a razor, successfully extracting a stone the size of a fist. He survived. The Dutch Golden Age physician Nicolaas Tulp, the same doctor depicted in Rembrandt's famous Anatomy Lesson, later described the case in his medical writings, cementing De Doot's unlikely fame.

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