William Harvey is quoted, "I have first to dispose of certain observations that bear on the circulation of the blood as discovered by me. Scarce a day has passed since the birth of my circulation of the blood that I have not had something said to me for good or evil of my discovery" (Willis). Which I found on an online book located here.
This is one place in his works in which Harvey speaks of himself as the only discoverer of the circulation of the blood through the heart and body. This discovery is pivotal to the knowledge of human biology, specifically the pulmonary and circulatory systems during this time period of the Scientific Revolution. The knowledge of the common population during the 16th and 17th centuries in regards to the heart and circulatory system wasn't very extensive before Harvey's discovery's, observations, and writings. A webpage that summarized Harvey's work and findings, and his life, also describes and explains the little generalized knowledge of the bodily systems at this time, the fact that blood was circulated by a sort of a pulsing action from the arteries. This wasn't known to science, or as a 'science' at all, this was the general popular belief at this time. The site then explains his accomplishments in regards to fulfilling this lack of knowledge. His research of the circulatory system was generously sponsored and encouraged by King Charles I. Whom Harvey was later appointed personal physician. By studying animals given to him, Harvey eventually developed a very accurate theory of how the heart and circulatory system operated. He then published his theories in 1628 in his famous book "On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals," which functioned as the backbone of his notoriety throughout Europe (Wiegand).
Outside readers should further inquire and learn more, if they don't have previous intellect on this subject, (especially if they live in the 16th or 17th centuries, and don't know much about the heart and blood). Our documentation and proof of the importance on the innovation should be read into further, to gain knowledge of the pulmonary and circulatory systems, to know more about our human bodies. The current perception has little knowledge of this time period, and I'm sure that what's included in our presentation about major arteries, the basic structure of these systems, and the dangers associated with the blood, is unknown to most. In order to make sense out of a previously obscure and confusing subject, read further to develop a coherent sense of this lively juice flowing through our bodies. For the sake of being cautious and knowledgeable about your body, one should know about the potential pathogens like a rusty nail that can infiltrate and disease ones blood stream and body. With the help of the groundwork from William Harvey, and our documentation on this important scientific innovation, we can explore the basic structure of these systems, and explore the potential hazards that can harm the body and blood stream. The awareness of these hazards will be especially beneficial to anyone who doesn't know about them, which lack of this intelligence limits the assurance of good health and prosperity.
Works Cited:
Wiegand, Susan. "William Harvey (1578-1657)." NNDB. Accessexcellance.org. 3 Nov 2008. <http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BC/William_Harvey.php>
Willis, Robert. "William Harvey: A History of the Discovery of the Circulation of the Blood." London: C.K. Paul & Co., 1878.
4 comments:
This presentation seems like it is going to answer many unknown questions. I feel based on your abstract, this subject caused a lot of change especially in that time period. You bring up the point of this being a breakthrough and how people during that time did not really know much about this subject. My question is, why is that? Why was this such a breakthrough?
This presentation seems somewhat similar to the man we studied, Andreas Vesalius. Vesalius changed what people of the time period assumed the human body looked like. From dissections, Vesalius was able to make detailed drawings. From these drawings, people were able to see how intricate their bodies were. Your presentation seems similar because Harvey innovated what people believed of their heart and circulation. One thing I would like to learn from this is did the people of the time period somewhat reject what they were hearing and seeing? Were they so stuck in their own, old views that his ideas were looked past at first?
What types of tests did Harvey perform to support his theory about blood circulating the body through the heart?
Obviously, this was a very important topic both back then and the effects it's had on us over the years. How much resistance were his ideas met with at first? Was the general public uneasy with the fact his experiments were based around blood?
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