English scientist at Harvey. Creation of the theory of blood circulation
HARVEY, Harvey William
HARVEY, Harvey William(Harvey William, 1578-1657) - English physician, physiologist and embryologist, one of the founders of scientific physiology and embryology. In 1597 he graduated from medicine. Faculty in Cambridge, and in 1602 the University of Padua (Italy) and received a diploma of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Padua.
Returning to England, he received a second diploma - Doctor of Medicine from the University of Cambridge. In London he was a professor at the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Surgery, chief physician and surgeon at St. Bartholomew. Since 1607, member of the Royal College of Physicians.
W. Harvey refuted the hypothetical constructions created by his predecessors and discovered the basic laws of blood circulation. Having measured the value of the systolic volume, the frequency of heart contractions per unit time and the total amount of blood, he indicated: “in the whole body there is no more than 4 pounds of it, as I was convinced of this on a sheep.” Based on this, W. Harvey argued that the teaching of C. Galen, which had prevailed for 1500 years, according to which more and more new portions of blood flow to the heart from the organs that produce it (gastrointestinal tract and liver) so that for it to leave the heart through the veins and arteries irrevocably to all organs of the body, where it is completely consumed, is erroneous. He allowed the same blood to return to the heart through a closed cycle. W. Harvey explained the closed circle of blood circulation by the direct connection of arteries and veins through the smallest tubes; these tubes - capillaries - were discovered by M. Malpighi only four years after the death of W. Harvey. He was the first to attribute to the liver the role of a protective, barrier organ.
W. Harvey had developed ideas about the functions of the circulatory system by 1615, but his classic work “Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis in animalibus” (“Anatomical study of the movement of the heart and blood in animals”) was published only in 1628 After its publication, W. Harvey was subjected to severe attacks and accusations from his contemporaries and the church for encroaching on the authority of ancient scientists and the religious-idealistic worldview that then dominated natural science. Assessing the significance of W. Harvey’s discoveries for the development of science, I. P. Pavlov wrote: “Harvey’s work is not only of rare value the fruit of his mind, but also a feat of his courage and selflessness.”
W. Harvey is rightly considered one of the founders and creators of modern embryology. In 1651, his second book was published - “Exercitationes de generatione animalium” (“Research on the generation of animals”). It summarized the results of many years of research into the embryonic development of invertebrates and vertebrates (birds and mammals) and concluded that “the egg is the common origin of all animals” (“Ex ovo omnia”). Not only oviparous animals, but also viviparous animals - mammals and humans - come from eggs. This statement of W. Harvey was truly a brilliant guess, since he could not yet know about the existence of the mammalian egg, discovered only 175 years later by Russian scientists. scientist K. M. Baer. W. Harvey came to the idea of a mammalian egg as a result of observations of the very early stages of an embryo covered with a chorion. The inability to use a microscope to study the early stages of embryo development was the reason for a number of incorrect conclusions by W. Harvey. However, the most important factual discoveries and some of W. Harvey’s ideas in this area have not lost their significance until recently. He refuted the idea of spontaneous generation, arguing that even the so-called. worm-bearing animals have eggs; finally established the place in the chicken egg where the formation of the embryo begins (the “scar” or cicatricula). W. Harvey was an opponent of the theory of preformationism (q.v.), believing that organisms develop from eggs “by adding parts that separate one after another,” and introduced the concept of epigenesis (q.v.). His research on mammalian embryology served as a major impetus for the development of theoretical and practical obstetrics.
Essays: Opera omnia, a Collegio Medicorum Londinensi edita, Londini, 1766; Anatomical study of the movement of the heart and blood in animals, trans. from Latin, ed., 2nd, Leningrad, 1948.
Bibliography: Bykov K. M. William Harvey and the discovery of blood circulation, M., 1957; Gutner N. History of the discovery of blood circulation, M., 1904; Pavlov I.P. Complete works, vol. 5, p. 279, vol. 6, p. 425, M.-L., 1952; Semenov G. M. The significance of William Harvey in the history of the study of ontogenesis of animals and humans, Tashkent, 1928; G a s-t i g 1 i o n i A. History of medicine, p. 515, N.Y., 1941; K e e 1 e K. D. William Harvey, L., 1965, bibliogr.; P a g e 1 W. a. W i n d e r M. Harvey and the “modern” concept of disease, Bull. Hist. Med., v. 42, p. 496, 1968, bibliogr.
William Harvey made quite a significant contribution to biology.
William Harvey's opening brief
In the era of great scientific discoveries of the 16th-17th centuries, natural science gradually freed itself from the heel of the church. At that time, there lived an outstanding researcher and English doctor, William Harvey, whose contribution to science cannot be underestimated.
The English researcher was not the kind of doctor who was satisfied only with medical practice. He wanted to know more about the human body than was written in books on healing. From the texts of ancient doctors, he found out how the heart works and the movement of blood in the body. Previously it was believed that blood from the liver spreads to all parts of the body, where it is destroyed. William Harvey decided to explore this issue in more detail. The scientist studied for a long time the principle of the heart in fish, birds, snakes and frogs, conducting a large number of experiments on animals.
William Harvey's discoveries in biology, after numerous practices, were not long in coming: the genius came to the conclusion that the heart is the central engine of the body, which drives blood through the vessels. He also denied the fact that the blood was destroyed. After it has passed through all the tissues of the body, the red liquid returns back to the heart, passes through the lungs, then again enters the central engine. From there, the blood flows back into the tissues. This continuous process was called blood circulation. This is what William Harvey discovered during lengthy experiments: circulation.
William Harvey's contributions to medicine directly depends on biological discoveries. In 1616, he was offered to head the department of anatomy and surgery at the college of doctors. The scientist laid the foundation for the development of modern physiology. Before him, science was dominated by the ideas of ancient physicians, among whom Galen stood out. Previously, it was assumed that there were two types of blood flowing in the body—spiritualized and rough. The first circulates through the arteries, supplying the body with vital force. The second from the liver is carried through the veins and serves for nutrition. And Harvey rejected the ideas of Galen, for which he succumbed to persecution by the Church.
After discovering the theory of blood circulation, the next thing William Harvey did was to understand the role of the valves and valves of the heart. They allow blood to flow in only one direction. The scientist also proved the importance of the heartbeat for the body and the circulation of “red liquid”.
William Harvey's main ideas regarding blood circulation are set out in his book “An Anatomical Study on the Movement of the Heart and Blood in Animals” (1628, Germany, Frankfurt am Main), the works “Studies on the Circulation” (Cambridge, 1646), “Research on the Origin of Animals” "(1651).
What contributions did William Harvey make to science?
During Harvey's lifetime, scientists believed that there was a possibility of spontaneous generation of living things from non-living things. For example, worms made of mud or frogs made of mud. William Harvey conducted several studies that indicated that the embryos of birds, mammals and invertebrates develop from eggs, and not from non-living substances. He outlined his ideas in the work “Research on the Origin of Animals” (1651). Thus, he laid the foundation for the development of the science of embryology.
We hope that from this article you learned what contributions William Harvey made to biology.
William Harvey is an English physician of the 17th century, the author of one of the most significant discoveries in biology and medicine. He was the first in the Western world to correctly and in detail describe the systemic circulation and the properties of the blood pumped throughout the body by the heart. He stood at the origins of physiology and embryology.
Childhood and youth
William Harvey was born on April 1, 1578 in England. Father Thomas Harvey was a merchant, a member of the municipality of Folkestone, Kent, and served as mayor in 1600. William was the eldest of nine children, seven sons and two daughters, of Thomas and his wife Joan Halck. The Harvey family were related to the 1st Earl of Nottingham. Sir Daniel Harvey, the son of William's niece, is a well-known British merchant and diplomat, English ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1668 to 1672.
Harvey received his primary education in Folkestone at Johnson's School, where he studied Latin. He then studied at the Royal School in Canterbury for 5 years, mastered Latin and Greek, after which in 1593 he entered Gonville and Keyes College in Cambridge. William won an Archbishop of Canterbury scholarship to help pay his living and tuition expenses for six years. In 1597, Harvey received his Bachelor of Arts degree.
In 1599, at the age of 21, he entered the University of Padua in Italy, which was famous for its medical and anatomical courses. When Harvey studied in Padua, he taught mathematics, physics and astronomy there.
The greatest influence on the young man at the Italian university was his teacher Hieronymus Fabricius, who was a qualified anatomist and surgeon, he was responsible for the discovery of valves in human veins. From him, William learned that dissection is the most correct way to understand the body.
In 1602, Harvey passed his final exams brilliantly and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine. That same year, William returned to England, his academic degree from Cambridge University was confirmed. He also became a Gonville and Keyes Scholar.
Medicine and scientific activities
Harvey settled in London and began to practice. In 1604, the young doctor became a candidate for the Royal College of Physicians, and in 1607 became its member. In 1609 he was officially appointed assistant specialist at St Bartholomew's Hospital, where he served until 1643. His duties included simple but thorough examination of patients who were brought to the hospital once a week, and the issuance of prescriptions.
The next stage of Harvey's biography began with his appointment as superintendent of the College of Physicians in 1613 and lecturer at the Lumlyn Readings in 1615. Founded by Lord Lumley and Dr Richard Caldwell in 1582, the 7-year course aimed to educate medical students and increase their general knowledge of anatomy. William began his studies in April 1616.
Harvey combined his teaching activities with work at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. He maintained an extensive and profitable practice, which culminated in his appointment as court physician to James I, King of England and Ireland, on 3 February 1618.
In 1625, the crowned patient died, William was blamed for this, and rumors of a conspiracy began to spread. The doctor was saved by the intercession of Charles 1, whom he served from 1625 to 1647. Researchers believe that he also treated high-society aristocrats, including the Lord Chancellor and a philosopher, who impressed the doctor.
Harvey used royal deer for medical experiments. During a trip to Scotland, in Edinburgh, a doctor observed cormorants, interested in the embryonic development of birds. In 1628, in Frankfurt, Harvey published a treatise on the circulation of blood in animals - “The De Motu Cordis”.
The first formulated theory of blood circulation in a closed cycle was confirmed by experimental evidence using the example of a sheep. Before this, it was believed that blood was produced, not processed. Negative comments from fellow doctors damaged William's reputation. However, he was re-elected Warden and then Treasurer of the College of Physicians.
At the age of 52, Harvey received orders from the king to accompany the Duke of Lennox on a trip abroad. This journey through the countries of France and Spain during the War of the Mantuan Succession and the plague epidemic lasted 3 years. In 1636, William visited Italy again. Researchers believe that during the trip he met with Galileo.
An interesting fact in Harvey’s biography is that he more than once acted as a skeptic in the trials of people accused of witchcraft. Based on his findings, many were acquitted.
During the English Civil War from 1642-1652, the court physician treated the wounded and protected the royal children during the Battle of Edgehill. One day, the king's opponents broke into Harvey's house and destroyed his papers: reports on autopsies of patients, observations of the development of insects, and a series of notes on comparative anatomy.
During these years, Harvey was appointed dean of Merton College at Oxford University by royal order for services to the state. William combined his position with practice and continued scientific experiments. After the capitulation of Oxford in 1645, Harvey retired, returned to London, and lived with his brothers. After leaving his post at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and other positions, he took up the study of literature. Attempts to return the doctor to work failed.
Before retiring, Harvey published two essays on the study of blood circulation (“Exercitationes duae de circulatione sanguinis”) in 1646 and a scientific work “Investigations on the Generation of Animals” in 1651, which included the results of studies of the development of animal embryos. Harvey based most of his conclusions on careful observations recorded during vivisections of various animals, and was the first person to study biology quantitatively.
A huge contribution to science was the statement that blood flows through the heart in two separate closed loops. One loop, the pulmonary circulation, connected the circulatory system to the lungs. The second, systemic circulation, causes blood flow to the vital organs and tissues of the body. The achievement of the doctor-scientist was the theory that the function of the heart is to push blood throughout the body, and not to suck it in, as previously thought.
Personal life
Little is known about Harvey's personal life. In 1604 he married Elizabeth K. Brown, daughter of Lancelot Brown, a London physician. The couple had no children.
At St Bartholomew's Hospital, Harvey earned about £33 a year.
William and his wife lived in Ludgate. Two more houses in West Smithfield were assigned to him as additional benefits to the position of doctor.
A description of the appearance of 37-year-old Harvey has been preserved: a man of the shortest stature, with a round face; his eyes are small, very dark and full of spirit, his hair is black as a raven and curly.
Death
William Harvey died on 3 June 1657 at his brother's house in Roehampton. On the morning of that day, the scientist wanted to speak and discovered that his tongue was paralyzed. He knew that this was the end, but he sent for a doctor and explained with signs that bloodletting was required. The operation did not help, and in the evening Harvey died
The description of the events preceding his death suggests that the cause of death was hemorrhage in the brain from vessels injured by gout: the left middle cerebral artery failed, which led to a gradual accumulation of blood in the brain.
According to the will, the scientist’s property was distributed among family members, and a significant amount of money went to the Royal College of Physicians.
Harvey was buried in Hampstead, Essex, in a chapel between the bodies of his two nieces. On October 18, 1883, the scientist’s remains were reburied in a sarcophagus along with his works by members of the Royal College of Physicians with the permission of his relatives.
Harvey(Harvey) William (04/01/1578, Folkestone 06/03/1657, London), English naturalist and physician. In 1588 he entered the Royal School in Canterbury, where he studied Latin. In May 1593 he was admitted to Keyes College, Cambridge University. Harvey devoted the first three years of his studies to the study of disciplines useful for a doctor - classical languages (Latin and Greek), rhetoric, philosophy and mathematics. He was especially interested in philosophy; From all of Harvey's subsequent works it is clear that Aristotle's natural philosophy had a huge influence on his development as a scientist. For the next three years, Harvey studied disciplines directly related to medicine. At that time at Cambridge this study consisted mainly of reading and discussing the works of Hippocrates, Galen and other ancient authors. Sometimes anatomical demonstrations were given; the science teacher was required to do this every winter, and Keyes College was authorized to perform autopsies on executed criminals twice a year. In 1597 Harvey received the title of bachelor, and in October 1599 he left Cambridge.
The exact date of his first visit to Padua is unknown, but in 1600 he already held the elected position of headman - the representative of English students at the University of Padua. The medical school in Padua was at the height of its glory at that time. On April 25, 1602, Harvey completed his education, received his doctorate in medicine and returned to London. On October 14, 1609, Harvey was officially admitted to the staff of the prestigious St. Bartholomew's Hospital. His duties included visiting the hospital at least twice a week, examining patients and prescribing medications. Sometimes patients were sent to his home. For twenty years Harvey acted as the hospital's physician, even as his private practice in London continually expanded. In addition, he worked at the College of Physicians and conducted his own experimental research. In 1613 Harvey was elected warden of the College of Physicians.
In 1628, Harvey's work Anatomical study on the movement of the heart and blood in animals (Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis in animalibus) was published in Frankfurt. In it, he first formulated his theory of blood circulation and provided experimental evidence in its favor. By measuring the systolic volume, heart rate and total amount of blood in the body of a sheep, Harvey proved that in 2 minutes all the blood must pass through the heart, and within 30 minutes an amount of blood equal to the weight of the animal passes through it. It followed that, contrary to Galen’s statements about the flow of more and more new portions of blood to the heart from the organs that produce it, the blood returns to the heart in a closed cycle. The closure of the cycle is ensured by the smallest tubes - capillaries connecting arteries and veins.
At the beginning of 1631, Harvey became the physician of King Charles I. Interested in Harvey's research, Charles provided him with the royal hunting grounds in Windsor and Hampton Court for experiments. In May 1633 Harvey accompanied Charles I on his visit to Scotland. After the Battle of Edgehill in 1642 during the English Civil War, Harvey followed the king to Oxford. Here he resumed medical practice and continued observations and experiments. In 1645 the king appointed Harvey dean of Merton College. In June 1646, Oxford was besieged and taken by Cromwell's supporters, and Harvey returned to London.
Little is known about his activities and circumstances of life over the next few years. In 1646, Harvey published two anatomical essays in Cambridge, Exercitationes duae de circulatione sanguinis, and in 1651 his second fundamental work, Exercitationes de generatione animalium, was published. It summarized the results of Harvey's many years of research concerning the embryonic development of invertebrates and vertebrates, and formulated the theory of epigenesis. Harvey argued that the egg is the common origin of all animals and all living things come from the egg. Harvey's research in embryology served as a powerful stimulus for the development of theoretical and practical obstetrics.
From 1654 Harvey lived in his brother's house in London or in the suburb of Roehampton. He was elected president of the College of Physicians, but refused this honorary position, citing his advanced age.
William Harvey (1578-1657), English physician, embryologist and physiologist.
Born April 1, 1578 in Folkestone (Kent). A graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at Cambridge University, Harvey went to continue his education in the Italian city of Padua, where in 1602 he received his doctorate.
Returning to England, he became a professor of anatomy and surgery and court physician to King James I, and after his death - to Charles I. The scientist's court career ended after the English Revolution of 1642.
Having ceased practice, Harvey devoted the rest of his life to research in the field of embryology.
He conducted his research on chicken eggs and used so many of them that, according to his cook, this could be enough for scrambled eggs for the entire population of England. In 1628, Harvey’s work “An Anatomical Study of the Movement of the Heart and Blood in Animals” was published, which describes the systemic and pulmonary circulation.
The scientist proved that thanks to the work of the heart, the blood in the vessels is in continuous movement, and determined the direction of this movement, and at the same time refuted Galen’s theory that the center of blood circulation is the liver.
Harvey's views on blood circulation were not accepted by many doctors and were sharply criticized. These disputes went far beyond the professional circle and even became the theme of Moliere’s comedy “The Imaginary Invalid.”
In his essay, Harvey gave a complete picture of the embryonic development of the chicken and roe deer.
