Neanderthal remains were first discovered in 1829 in what is now Belgium by Philipus Carel Schmerling a Dutch medical doctor.

Scherling was born in Holland in 1791, He studied medicine at Delft and Leiden and served as a physician in the Dutch army between 1812 and 1816.

In 1822 he and his wife moved to Liege in Belgium where, after continuing his studies at the university, he became a Doctor of Medicine in 1825. Upon moving to a French-speaking area he modified his name to Philippe-Charles Schmerling.

He was a pioneer in the field of paleontology. During his lifetime he excavated some sixty caves in the provinces of Liege and Luxembourg.

In 1829 he discovered the first Neanderthal remains in a cave in Engis. It was a partial cranium of a small child. The findings, designated as Engis 2, are preserved at the University of Liege.

Schmerling wrote an extensive account in French of his discoveries that, thanks to the University of Liege, can be consulted online at this address:
https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/207986