William Harvey and His Age: The Professional and Social Context of the Discovery of the Circulation

Abstract

In 1978, the medical world commemorated the 400th anniversary of Harvey's birth and the 350th anniversary of the publication of his great book,<i>De Motu Cordis</i>. The ripples of that celebration will be felt for years, and this book is one of them. Meeting in 1978, the American Association for the History of Medicine conducted a symposium on William Harvey and his age. Three scholars reported on their studies, and now the symposium is available in published form, edited by one of the participants, Jerome J. Bylebyl. The result is a collection of information about Harvey and his time, much edified by often highly original interpretation. Charles Webster places Harvey within the context of medical politics and the College of Physicians of early 17th-century London. As an official of the College, Harvey was much involved in the prosecution of quacks and in the pursuit of amicable working relations with such