Biology and Its Makers: With Portraits and Other IllustrationsLocy, William A. (William Albert)
History
Biology and Its Makers: With Portraits and Other Illustrations
Locy, William A. (William Albert)
Biology -- History
His Personal Qualities.--Harvey had marked individuality, and seems to
have produced a powerful impression upon those with whom he came in
contact as one possessing unusual intellectual powers and independence
of character. He inspired confidence in people, and it is significant
that, in reference to the circulation of the blood, he won to his way
of thinking his associates in the medical profession. This is important
testimony as to his personal force, since his ideas were opposed to the
belief of the time, and since also away from home they were vigorously
assailed.
Although described as choleric and hasty, he had also winning
qualities, so that he retained warm friendships throughout his life,
and was at all times held in high respect. It must be said also that in
his replies to his critics, he showed great moderation.
[Illustration: Fig. 10.--William Harvey, 1578-1667.]
The contemplative face of Harvey is shown in Fig. 10. This is taken
from his picture in the National Portrait Gallery in London, and
is usually regarded as the second-best portrait of Harvey, since
the one painted by Jansen, now in possession of the Royal College
of Physicians, is believed to be the best one extant. The picture
reproduced here shows a countenance of composed intellectual strength,
with a suggestion, in the forehead and outline of the face, of some of
the portraits of Shakespeare.
An idea of his personal appearance may be had from the description of
Aubrey, who says: "Harvey was not tall, but of the lowest stature;
round faced, with a complexion like the wainscot; his eyes small,
round, very black, and full of spirit; his hair black as a raven,
but quite white twenty years before he died; rapid in his utterance,
choleric, given to gesture," etc.
He was less impetuous than Vesalius, who had published his work at
twenty-eight; Harvey had demonstrated his ideas of the circulation in
public anatomies and lectures for twelve years before publishing them,
and when his great classic on the Movement of the Heart and Blood
first appeared in 1628, he was already fifty years of age. This is a
good example for young investigators of to-day who, in order to secure
priority of announcement, so frequently rush into print with imperfect
observations as preliminary communications.
Harvey's Writings.--Harvey's publications were all great; in
embryology, as in physiology, he produced a memorable treatise. But his
publications do not fully represent his activity as an investigator;
it is known that through the fortunes of war, while connected with
the sovereign Charles I as court physician, he lost manuscripts and
drawings upon the comparative anatomy and development of insects
and other animals. His position in embryology will be dealt with in
the chapter on the Development of Animals, and he will come up for
consideration again in the chapter on the Rise of Physiology. Here we
are concerned chiefly with his general influence on the development of
biology.
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