Heritage Centre :

William Harvey

- as shown through the Royal College of Physician's Collections

One of the most famous doctors associated with the Royal College of Physicians of London, is William Harvey (1578-1657). He is famous for his discovery that the blood circulates around the body. The College today follows both his actions and words, in its encouragement of scientific investigation to the advancement of medicine. Harvey encouraged Fellows 'to search and study out the secrets of nature by way of experiment.'

It is difficult for us to understand the impact that Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood had on the minds of his contemporaries. We are so used to the simple idea of the heart acting as a pump, from which blood circulates around the body. Using items from the College's collections this exhibition provides a unique insight into Harvey's discovery, his relationship with the College and the importance and influence of his discovery to the present day.

All the images in this exhibition are of items in the College's collection. If you would like to find out more, please contact us.

This exhibition does not attempt to reproduce an example of how the blood circulates around the body. Neither does it attempt to provide a description of the blood and its various components. For an excellent description of these please see these pages on the blood and circulation by Cancer Help UK.

Please click on one of the images below to find out more about William Harvey, his discovery and his relationship to the College.

Harvey's Life	Harvey and the College	Harvey's Discovery
Influences leading to his discovery	Did you know?	Time line of knowledge about blood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This page last updated on September 12, 2006