Harvey’s De Motu Cordis

The echo of Harvey's De Motu Cordis (1628) 1628 to 1657.

Aristotle's De motu animalium

De Motu Locali Animalium

The bright light of William Harvey's discovery of the nature of the blood's circulation usually outshines his other contributions, notably the important studies on the embryology of the chick and the deer. However, the Exercitationes de generatione animalium at least was published (1651). Now Dr. Whitteridge, at the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians, has made accessible a virtually ...

Heart and Blood in Animals: A New Edition of William Harvey’s Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis in animalibus

clearer chronology in the examples might have been preferable – in places examples from the mid-seventeenth century follow examples from the late eighteenth century making it hard to follow how ideas and practices shifted. However, these are minor critiques of a meticulously researched and thoroughly evocative work. Handley closes by pointing out that there is much further work to be done histo...

Malpighi's De polypo cordis: an annotated translation.

Malpighi's De polypo cordis (1666) represents a significant contribution to the understanding of blood, its composition and its clotting. In this work, written during his occupation of the primary Chair of Medicine at Messina (1662-66),l he recognized, albeit dimly, fibrinogen as a regular component of blood, and began to investigate the conditions which provoke or prevent clotting, either intr...