William Harvey and the Mechanics of the Heart (Oxford Portraits in Science)
Grade 9 Up-A contemporary of Shakespeare, Harvey was strongly influenced by the politics of the time, as he sought to move medicine of the early 1600s closer toward the experimental scientific model. He used methods of the early Greeks to fashion his study of human anatomy, particularly the anatomy and physiology of the human heart. He used dissection, vivisection, and lectures to develop the theory of circulation that we know to be accurate today. While Harvey's contribution to medicine is immense, many students will find this biography of him inaccessible. There is a great deal of discussion of ancient Greek methods of discovery in regard to anatomy, and much of the discussion of the physician's theories about the heart, blood, and circulation will be difficult for average readers to understand. Black-and-white reproductions appear throughout. For motivated students, this book provides a well-rounded look at the politics, ethics, and science of the time in Great Britain.Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.