William Harvey (years of life - 1578-1657) is an English physician and naturalist. He was born in Folkestone on April 1, 1578. His father was a successful merchant. William was the eldest son in the family, and therefore the main heir. However, unlike his brothers, William Harvey was completely indifferent to the prices of fabrics. Biology did not immediately interest him, but he quickly realized that he was burdened by conversations with the captains of the chartered ships. Therefore, Harvey happily set about studying at Canterbury College.
Below are portraits of such a great physician as William Harvey. These photos relate to different years of his life, portraits were made by different artists. Unfortunately, there were no cameras at that time, so we can only roughly imagine what W. Harvey looked like.
Period of study
In 1588, William Harvey, whose biography is still of interest to many, entered the Royal School, located in Canterbury. Here he began to study Latin. In May 1593, he was admitted to Keyes College of the famous Cambridge University. He received a scholarship in the same year (it was established by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1572). Harvey devoted the first 3 years of study to "disciplines useful to the doctor." These are classical languages (Greek and Latin), philosophy, rhetoric and mathematics. William was especially interested in philosophy. From his writings it is clear that the natural philosophy of Aristotle had a very great influence on the development of William Harvey as a scientist.
The next 3 years, William studied disciplines that are directly related to medicine. The training at Cambridge at that time was reduced mainly to reading and discussing the works of Galen, Hippocrates, and other ancient authors. Sometimes anatomical demonstrations were arranged for students. They were obliged to spend every winter a teacher of natural sciences. Keyes College received permission twice a year to carry out autopsies of criminals who were executed. Harvey in 1597 received the title of Bachelor. He left Cambridge in October 1599.
Travel
At 20, burdened with the “truths” of medieval logic and natural philosophy, becoming a fairly educated person, he still knew almost nothing. Harvey was attracted by the natural sciences. Intuitively, he understood that it was they who would give scope to his sharp mind. According to the custom of young people of that time, William Harvey went on a five-year journey. He wanted to gain a foothold in distant lands in his timid and vague attraction to medicine. And William first went to France, and then to Germany.
Visiting Padua
The exact date of the first visit to William of Padua is unknown (some researchers attribute it to 1598), but in 1600 he was already the "headman" -representative (elected position) of students from England at the University of Padua. At that time, the local medical school was at the peak of fame. Anatomical research flourished in Padua thanks to J. Fabrice, a native of Aquapendent, who first occupied the Department of Surgery, and later the Department of Embryology and Anatomy. Fabrice was a follower and student of G. Fallopius.
Acquaintance with the achievements of J. Fabriz
When William Harvey arrived in Padua, J. Fabrice was already at a respectable age. Most of his works were written, although not all of them were published. His most significant work is considered “On Venous Valves”. It was published in the first year of stay in Padua Harvey. However, as far back as 1578, Fabrice demonstrated these valves to students. Although he himself showed that the entrances to them are always open in the direction of the heart, in this fact he did not see any connection with blood circulation. Labor Factory had a great influence on William Harvey, in particular, on his books On the Development of Eggs and Chicken (1619) and On the Mature Fruit (1604).
Own experiments
William wondered what role these valves played. However, for the scientist, just thinking is not enough. I needed an experiment, experience. And William began by experimenting on himself. Bandaging his arm, he found that it soon numbed below the dressing, the skin darkened, and the veins swelled. Harvey then set up an experiment on a dog, which he tied both legs with a string. And again, the legs below the bandages began to swell, the veins swelled. When he incised a swollen vein on his leg, dark, thick blood dripped from the cut. Then Harvey incised a vein on his other leg, but now above the ligation. Not a single drop of blood leaked. It is clear that the vein below the dressing is full of blood, but there is no blood above the dressing. The conclusion that this could mean was obvious. However, Harvey was in no hurry with him. As a researcher, he was very careful and carefully checked his observations and experiments, not rushing to draw conclusions.
Return to London, admission to practice
Harvey in 1602, April 25, completed his education, becoming a doctor of medicine. He returned to London. This degree was recognized by the University of Cambridge, which, however, did not mean that William had the right to practice medicine. At that time, the College of Doctors issued licenses for it. In 1603, Harvey turned there. In the spring of the same year, he took exams and answered all the questions "quite satisfactorily." He was admitted to practice until the next exam, which should be passed a year later. Harvey appeared before the commission three times.
Work at St. Bartholomew's Hospital
In 1604, on October 5, he was admitted to the College. And three years later, William became a full member. In 1609, he filed a petition asking him to be admitted to the hospital of St. Bartholomew as a doctor. At that time, the work in this hospital was considered a very prestigious job for a medical practitioner, so Harvey confirmed his request with letters from the President of the College, as well as some of its members and even the king. The hospital management agreed to accept him as soon as there was free space. In 1690, on October 14, William was officially enrolled in her staff. He had to visit the hospital at least 2 times a week, examine patients and prescribe medications to them. Patients were sometimes sent to his house. William Garvey worked at the hospital for 20 years, and this despite the fact that his London private practice was constantly expanding. In addition, he continued his activities at the College of Physicians, and also carried out his own experimental studies.
Speech at the Lamlian Readings
William Harvey in 1613 was elected to the post of supervisor of the College of Physicians. And in 1615 he began to act as a lecturer at the Lamlian readings. They were established by Lord Lumley in 1581. The purpose of these readings is to increase the level of medical education in the city of London. All education at that time was reduced to the presence of executed criminals at autopsy. These public autopsies were organized 4 times a year by the Barber Surgeon Society and the College of Physicians. The lecturer at the Lamlian readings had to conduct an hour-long lecture twice a week during the year so that students could complete a full course in surgery, anatomy and medicine in 6 years. This obligation, William Harvey, whose contribution to biology is invaluable, performed for 41 years. At the same time, he spoke at the College. The British Museum today stores a manuscript of notes by Harvey to the lectures that he held on April 16, 17 and 18 in 1616. It is called "Abstracts to lectures on general anatomy."
Theory of blood circulation W. Harvey
In Frankfurt in 1628, William published an anatomical study on the movement of the heart and blood in animals. In it, he first formulated his own theory of blood circulation, and also brought to its advantage experimental evidence by William Harvey. The contribution to medicine made by him was very important. William measured the total amount of blood, the heart rate and the systolic volume in the sheep’s body and proved that all blood must pass through her heart in two minutes, and in 30 minutes the amount of blood passes, equal in volume to the weight of the animal. This meant that, contrary to what Galen said about the receipt of more new portions of blood to the heart from the organs that produce it, she again returns to the heart in a closed cycle. And the closure is provided by capillaries - the smallest tubes connecting the veins and arteries.
William becomes Charles I Life Lab
At the beginning of 1631, he became Charles I’s life physician William Harvey. The contribution to the science of this scientist was appreciated by the king himself. Charles I became interested in the research of Harvey, placed at the disposal of the scientist the royal hunting grounds located in Hampton Court and Windsor. Harvey used them to conduct his experiments. In 1633, in May, William accompanied the king during his visit to Scotland. It is possible that during his stay in Edinburgh he visited Bass Rock, where cormorants and other wild birds nested. Harvey at that time was interested in the development of the embryo of mammals and birds.
Moving to Oxford
In 1642, the battle of Edgill (an event of the civil war in England) took place. William Harvey went to Oxford for the king. Here he again engaged in medical practice, and also continued his experiments and observations. Charles I in 1645 appointed William Dean of Merton College. Oxford in June 1646 was besieged by the supporters of Cromwell and taken by them, and Harvey returned to London. Not much is known about the circumstances of his life and his activities over the next several years.
New Works by Harvey
Harvey in 1646 published 2 anatomical essays in Cambridge: "Circulatory Studies." In 1651, his second fundamental essay, entitled Studies on the Origin of Animals, was also published. It summarized the results of Harvey’s research over the years on the embryonic development of vertebrate and invertebrate animals. He formulated the theory of epigenesis. The egg is the common principle of animals, as William Harvey claimed. The contribution to science, which was subsequently made by other scientists, convincingly refuted this theory, according to which all life comes from an egg. However, for that time, the achievements of Harvey were very important. A powerful impetus to the development of practical and theoretical obstetrics was the embryology research carried out by William Harvey. His achievements provided him with fame not only during his lifetime, but also for many years after his death.
