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. 2023 Aug 31;36(6):772-774.
doi: 10.1080/08998280.2023.2247946. eCollection 2023.

Lessons from the life of William Harvey

Charles Stewart Roberts  1
Affiliations

Lessons from the life of William Harvey

Charles Stewart Roberts. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). .

Abstract

William Harvey (1578-1658) discovered that blood flows in a circle and described this new finding in a short book in 1628. He had superb educational opportunities but also faced great difficulties, which he met with personal and professional resilience. A study of his life is worthwhile. Presented here are 11 lessons drawn from Harvey's life and legacy.

Keywords: William Harvey; circulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no funding or conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
(a) Title page of Harvey’s book, left, published in Latin in Frankfurt in 1628. (b) A translation by Chauncey D. Leake published in 1931.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Harvey was ranked seventh in the category of biology by Charles Murray in his 2003 book, Human Accomplishment.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Two examples of the annual Harveian Oration: (a) one delivered by William Osler in 1906 and (b) one by Rolleston in 1928.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. O’Malley CD, Poynter FNL, Russell KF.. William Harvey. Lectures on the Whole of Anatomy. An Annotated Translation of Prelectiones Anatomiae Univeralis. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1961.
    1. Aird WC. Discovery of the cardiovascular system: from Galen to William Harvey. J Thromb Haemost. 2011;9(Suppl 1):118–129. doi:10.1111/j.1538-7836.2011.04312.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Leake CD. Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus [Anatomical Studies on the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals] by William Harvey, M.D. An English Translation with Annotations. 4th ed. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas; 1958.
    1. Wright T. William Harvey. A Life in Circulation. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 2013.
    1. Murray C. Human Accomplishment. The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950. New York: HarperCollins; 2003.

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