William Harvey And The Mechanics Of The Heart (Oxford Portraits In Science)

William Harvey And The Mechanics Of The Heart (Oxford Portraits In Science)

William Harvey is the riveting story of a seventeenth-century man of medicine and the scientific revolution he sparked with his amazing discoveries about blood circulation within the body. Jole Shackelford traces Harvey's life from his early days in Folkstone, England, to his study of medicine in Padua through his rise to court physician to King James I and King Charles I, where he had the opportunity to conduct his research in human biology and physiology. Harvey's lecture notes show that he believed in the role of the heart in circulation of blood through a closed system as early as 1615. Yet he waited 13 years, until 1628, to publish his findings, when he felt more secure at introducing a concept counter to beliefs that had been held for hundreds of years. A revealing look at the changing social, religious, and political beliefs of the time,William Harvey documents how one man's originality helped introduce a new way of conducting scientific experiments that we still use today.Oxford Portraits in Science is an on-going series of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world.From School Library JournalGrade 9 Up-A contemporary of Shakespeare, Harvey was strongly influenced by the politics of the time, as he sought to move medicine of the early 1600s closer toward the experimental scientific model. He used methods of the early Greeks to fashion his study of human anatomy, particularly the anatomy and physiology of the human heart. He used dissection, vivisection, and lectures to develop the theory of circulation that we know to be accurate today. While Harvey's contribution to medicine is immense, many students will find this biography of him inaccessible. There is a great deal of discussion of ancient Greek methods of discovery in regard to anatomy, and much of the discussion of the physician's theories about the heart, blood, and circulation will be difficult for average readers to understand. Black-and-white reproductions appear throughout. For motivated students, this book provides a well-rounded look at the politics, ethics, and science of the time in Great Britain.Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WICopyright