File:William Harvey, De Motu Cordis- valves in veins (11291071526).jpg

Detail of fig.1 and fig.2 demonstrating the one way action of the valves in the veins in the circulation of the blood from 18th-century Latin edition of the anatomical works of William Harvey (1578-1657) containing his famous 'De Motu Cordis', or 'Anatomical Treatise on the Movement of the Heart and Blood in Animals' and 'On Generation', published in Leiden by Johannes van Kerckhem, 1737.

Harvey's De Motu Cordis was originally published in 1628 as a tract of 72 pages, and it demonstrated for the first time the circulation of the blood, solving the puzzle of the physiology of the blood vessels. Harvey conceived his idea of how the circulation of the entire blood system might work from his knowledge of previous discoveries, and then demonstrated it by carrying out an extensive series of dissections and experiments. His demonstration of scientific research method: 'the first record of a complete experimental biological investigation' makes this one of the most important books ever published.

Part of the medical collection in Special Collections & Archives, SPEC Y73.2.107. With inscription on the volume titlepage, 'De Juliao Fernandez da Sylva' and signature of 'W.H.B. Ross'; signature of 'W.H.B. Ross' also on the titlepage of 'On Generation'.Images from Special Collections & Archives, the University of Liverpool.