Harvey demonstrating to King Charles I his theory of the
circulation of the blood, print, London, England, 1851 The
circulation of the blood through the body was discovered by
William Harvey (1578-1657), an English physician. He is shown
here demonstrating his theory to his patron, Charles I
(1600–1649), King of England. Harvey was Charles I’s personal
physician and the king took a great interest in Harvey’s
researches. Charles I’s patronage meant that Harvey had the time
and more importantly the money to conduct his experiments.
Harvey announced his discovery in De Motu Cordis in 1628, which
was also dedicated to Charles. The original oil painting
imagines a scene between Harvey and his patron. It dates from
1848 and is by Robert Hannah (1812-1909), a British artist.
Harvey’s achievement was still being celebrated over 200 years
after his famous discovery. Related Themes and Topics There are
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