William Harvey - Info sheet

William Harvey was a pioneering figure in medical science, known for his groundbreaking work on the circulatory system. Born on April 1, 1578, in Folkstone, England, Harvey came from a relatively affluent background, with his father serving as the Mayor of Folkstone. He was the eldest of nine children in a family that valued education. His early schooling took place at a small elementary school in Folkstone, before he advanced to the prestigious King's Grammar School in Canterbury at the age of ten. Harvey's academic journey continued as he enrolled at the University of Cambridge at the tender age of 15 to study medicine.

Harvey's intellectual pursuits led him to the University of Padua in Italy in 1599, a renowned institution for its medical and anatomy courses, where he was a contemporary of the illustrious Galileo Galilei. It was here that Harvey's research culminated in the first accurate description of blood circulation within the body. He discovered that the heart acts as a pump, driving blood through a closed system of arteries and veins, a revelation that fundamentally changed the understanding of human biology. Harvey's work laid the foundation for modern physiology and established him as a controversial genius of his time, whose contributions continue to be celebrated and studied today.