William Harvey (1578-1657) shattered the traditional medical beliefs and opened a new era of medical science when he put forward his theory of the circulation of blood in the body. He wrote a book explaining his theory in Latin and published it in 1628.
Padua School of Medicine
In 1597, Harvey travelled to Padua where the famous school of medicine was located. In the candle-lit lecture hall of the university he listened to Fabricius of Aquapendente , the great anatomist of the day. After becoming a Doctor of Medicine he returned to Cambridge where he set up his practice. He married Elizabeth Browne. In 1609, Harvey was appointed to St. Bartholomews Hospital.
Dissections
He was expected to help the poor with his knowledge. His experience at the hospital helped him to study the movement of the blood in the human body. 
For many years he dissected the bodies of men, birds, frogs, snakes and rabbits to study their blood circulation. The theory then was that blood originated from the liver. His experiments proved that blood could only flow through the veins in one direction, i.e. towards the heart. According to his theory, the blood was pumped from the heart, passed through the body and returned once more to its source. He proved that the blood stream was a continuous circulation.
Royal Physician
When Harvey explained his theory, no one took him seriously. However, when he published his revolutionary theory, it was accepted by the medical community. As a result, his medical practice improved tremendously. King Charles I who had a great interest in his work appointed him as the royal physician. In 1654, the Royal College of Physicians wanted to confer upon him the highest honour in the profession.
Harvey declined the offer on account of his age. In 1657, he was struck down by paralysis. He died later and was buried in Essex. Harvey had a great desire to perfect mankind’s knowledge of the human body to battle against diseases and pains. Without the use of any sophisticated equipment he perfected his theory which remains the most fundamental in the realm of physiology.
