Subjects:

Discovery, Physiology, Reasoning, Patronage, Medical Practitioners

People mentioned:

James Keill , John Kidd

    The author discounts the claims of others to have discovered the circulation of the blood before William Harvey. David Hume's opinion is quoted that Harvey made his discovery 'by reasoning alone, without any mixture of accident' and established it on 'the most solid and convincing proofs'. The quotation from Hume also refers to the patronage of Harvey by King Charles I, and to the manner in which his medical practice diminished because of the prejudices against his theory. The article ends with observations on the velocity of blood in the human body.