In this book English physician William Harvey described how, by using modern methods of scientific experimentation, observation, and quantification, he proved that the blood circulates in a closed loop through the body. He described various parts of the cardiovascular system and their functions. Harvey also discovered that all life is produced from ova, and described the process, which was a great innovation for the time. Harvey’s work had a more profound influence on modern medicine than that of anyone other than Vesalius. The whole scientific outlook on the human body was transformed by this book, and the work of Harvey lies behind almost every important medical advance in modern times.
The brown paper of this book is due to its having been exposed to a finishing solution containing too much alum when it was first produced.
