Renaissance Medicine

Lesson Objectives: How significant was the work of William Harvey?

Lesson Outcomes:

ALL will be able to describe the work of Harvey…

MOST will be able to explain the factors involved in his work…

SOME will be able to assess the significance of William Harvey…

William Harvey (1578-1657)

Born in Kent, England.Went to Cambridge University to study medicine aged 16.Six years later, he travelled to the great medical school in Padua, Italy to complete his education.

Back in London he gained a reputation as a superb doctor. He began work in St Bartholomew’s Hospital in 1609. He was also a surgeon to King James I and Charles I. His work focused on blood and how it moved around the body.

Harvey took a very scientific approach to medicine, carrying out dozens of experiments and making detailed notes. At the time, most doctors still believed the old Geek idea that dated back over a 1,000 years, that blood was constantly manufactured in the live to replace blood that was burnt up in the body like fuel.

This idea had been challenged by a number of doctors but no one had totally discredited the theory.

Harvey’s experiments showed that the idea was wrong. He found that the heat acts a pump, circulating the SAME blood all the time. He showed that the heart pumped blood to the body through arteries and the blood returned to the heart through veins. He took detailed notes and provided a lot of evidence…

He proved this by:

-Cutting up lots of frogs, their hears beat slowly, so he could see how they worked)

-Cutting up human beings (usually dead criminals).

-Pushing thin wires down vein to show that there are valves in the vein that make blood flow around the body.

-Measuring the amount of blood moved by each heart beat and calculating how much blood is in the body.

Harvey published his ideas in 1628 in a book called On the Movement of the Heart and the Blood in Animals.

However there was a gap in his explanation. He believed that arteries were connected to the veins by tiny capillaries … invisible to the eye. As a result his ideas were considered ‘crazy’ for the time. It was only in the 1660’s (after his death) that a more powerful microscope proved his theory.

Source A – A friend of Harvey’s diary.

“I have heard Harvey say that after his book came out he lost a great many patients because it was believed he was crack-brained”.

Source B – Modern Historian.

“Harvey’s discovery is one of the most important in the history of medicine. It gave doctors a new map of how the body worked. Without it, surgeons today would not be able to carry out blood transfusions or any complicated internal surgery.

Source C – A drawing from Harvey book.

It shows his experiment to demonstrate the function of the valves in the veins.

Questions.

  1. Where was Harvey trained?
  2. What was his profession, did he have any notable patients? What does this say about his clients?
  3. What was his specialisation?
  4. What approach did Harvey take to medicine?
  5. Was Harvey the first to challenge the Greek ideas? Why was Harvey different?
  6. How did he prove his theory?
  7. What was Harvey’s book?
  8. Were there any problems with Harvey’s work?
  9. What is significant about Harvey’s work?
  10. What factors were involved in Harvey’s discoveries?

Questions.

  1. Which universities was Harvey trained at?
  2. What was his profession, did he have any notable patients?
  3. What was his specialisation?
  4. What approach did Harvey take to medicine?Superstitious / Religious / Scientific / Luck
  5. What was the Greek theory? What was Harvey’s theory?
  6. Draw quick images for how Harvey proved his theories.
  7. What was Harvey’s book?
  8. Were there any problems with Harvey’s work? What was needed to finally prove his theories?
  9. Without Harvey would we have the Heart transplants?
  10. What factors were involved in Harvey’s discoveries? Luck / Religion / War / Education / Communication / Political / Technology

Questions.

  1. Where was Harvey trained?
  2. What was his profession, did he have any notable patients? What does this say about his clients?
  3. What was his specialisation?
  4. What approach did Harvey take to medicine?
  5. Was Harvey the first to challenge the Greek ideas? Why was Harvey different?
  6. How did he prove his theory?
  7. What was Harvey’s book?
  8. Were there any problems with Harvey’s work?
  9. What is significant about Harvey’s work?
  10. What factors were involved in Harvey’s discoveries?

Questions.

  1. Which universities was Harvey trained at?
  2. What was his profession, did he have any notable patients?
  3. What was his specialisation?
  4. What approach did Harvey take to medicine? Superstitious / Religious / Scientific / Luck
  5. What was the Greek theory? What was Harvey’s theory?
  6. Draw quick images for how Harvey proved his theories.
  7. What was Harvey’s book?
  8. Were there any problems with Harvey’s work? What was needed to finally prove his theories?
  9. Without Harvey would we have the Heart transplants?
  10. What factors were involved in Harvey’s discoveries? Luck / Religion / War / Education / Communication / Political / Technology