William Harvey

Power, D‘Arcy, Sir, 1855-1941Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 352K words
Chapters: 36

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.William Harvey by Sir D'Arcy PowerAuthor: Power, D'Arcy, Sir, 1855-1941,Language: English, Class: R: Medicine, Release Date: Aug 23, 2014

Editor's review

This book is a biography of William Harvey by Sir D'Arcy Power, an important public-domain work of early medical-historical biography. Harvey is known for discovering the circulation of the blood; the book narrates his life, medical training, and academic milieu, helping readers understand where this discovery stood within the medical ideas of the time. The author himself had a background in medical history, and the narrative balances factual exposition with assessment in relatively plain language, making it suitable as an introductory work for understanding Harvey and the rise of modern physiology. Readers should note that the book was written early, and some of its historical judgments differ from present-day research; it is best read alongside contemporary works on the history of science. Readers interested in medical history and the Scientific Revolution can gain concrete线索 linking the man and his era from this book, rather than merely remembering the conclusion of "the circulation of the blood."

Who it's for

A good fit for

Undergraduates and graduate students in medical history and the history of science
Readers who want to understand Harvey's life and the background of the discovery of the circulation of the blood
General readers interested in biographies of figures from the Scientific Revolution
Teachers who need public-domain English biography materials as teaching references

Not a good fit for

Specialist scholars seeking a review of the latest contemporary Harvey research
Medical practitioners who need extensive experimental details and data tables
Younger readers who find reading English biographical texts difficult

Reading tips

First understand the background of seventeenth-century European medicine and anatomy, then read the biography itself.
While reading, pay attention to the author's wording in evaluating Harvey, and distinguish historical fact from the author's judgment.
Read alongside contemporary works on the history of science to check the limitations of an early biography.
Note the key figures and works mentioned in the book as leads for further reading.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for medical students?

It can serve as an introductory work on medical history. The book focuses on Harvey's life and academic milieu rather than clinical technical details. Medical readers who want to understand the historical significance of the discovery of the circulation of the blood will find the personal and era background here; those who need experimental methods and data should look elsewhere for physiological-historical sources or contemporary research works.

Are the book's views outdated?

The book was written in the early twentieth century, and some historical judgments differ from present-day research, which is common for early biographies. It should be read as a historical text, understanding both Harvey and the characteristics of early medical-history writing; important conclusions should be checked against contemporary research in the history of science.

How difficult is the English public-domain version to read?

The text is in English and generally plain, but personal names, place names, and early medical terms still require checking. Readers with university-level English reading ability can finish it smoothly; if it feels difficult, they may first read a relevant general history of medicine in Chinese, then return to this book to trace the personal线索.

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About the author

Power, D‘Arcy, Sir, 1855-1941 Author · British · 1855–1941

Sir D'Arcy Power (1855–1941) was a British surgeon and historian of medicine. Alongside his medical practice, he devoted himself over many years to the study of British medical figures and the history of surgery, skillfully illuminating the development of medicine through the lives of individuals. His representative work, William Harvey, is a biography of the English physiologist who discovered the circulation of the blood, combining professional medical judgment with historical scholarship in plain prose that pays close attention to sources. In addition to this book, he wrote several works on British medical figures and the history of surgery, and he holds a certain influence in the field of medical-history writing. Public information is currently limited, and no verifiable records are available concerning the details of his life, his education, or his professional appointments; this introduction therefore offers a general account based mainly on the subjects and style of his writings.