Thomas Willis was a British doctor who was known for neurology and anatomy of the brain- best known for Circle of Willis
He was born in 1621.His research would changer the concepts which prevailed before his era. In the pre Willis era, the teachings of da Vinci, Vesalius and Berangario prevailed and brain was thought to be an organ of purification. Willis did a lot of work on Anatomy of the brain. He worked in collaboration with Christopher Wren and Richard Lower. His research in anatomy of the brain resulted in findings which were unexpected and very different from the views held then. He became famous. But for his research he needed to dissect human corpses. It was not easy to get them and many a time those were obtained by a 'forcible' donation
Today's story relates to one such episode where the body for research was obtained by a 'forced' donation - one Anne Green, a 22 year old housemaid who became pregnant by the grandson of her employer. She gave birth to a baby prematurely and hid the infant which promptly died. She was accused of infanticide, tried and convicted and was to be hanged to death for the offense.(This happened on the 14 th December 1650) This was a public ritual witnessed by many. They pinched her and pulled her down by the legs which was supposed to shorten the process and thereby reduce the duration of agonising asphyxia. Her body was pulled by so many people so violently that the court official was worried whether the rope would break and requested the people to leave the body alone. The body was given to William Petty for anatomy lectures at Oxford . When Petty and other doctors including Willis opened the coffin, the 'corpse' was said to have taken a breath. Willis raised the body to a sitting position the doctors opened the mouth and poured hot drinks down. This caused a cough and the doctors began to resuscitate her by rubbing the hands and feet. About 15 minutes later the eyes fluttered. The doctors began bloodletting and applied compression bandages to the arms and legs to increase the circulation (as it was believed then). They put her body on a bed besides that of another woman whose unfortunate job was to keep Anne's body warm. 12 hours after the official 'execution' Anne spoke a few words. After 4 days, she began to eat solid food. After a month, she was said to have fully recovered. Because her her unique resuscitation, Anne was later reprieved of her crime. Anne moved to the countryside taking the coffin as a souvenir. She married, had 3 children and lived for another 15 years.
Willis married Mary in 1657 and in 9 years of their married life had 8 children 4 sons and 4 daughters. All but 2 children died. Mary expired in 1666.
This episode made Willis very famous and his success resulted in jealousy from his colleagues. He had to face a lot of harassment He died relatively young at the age of 54. Willis is best known for his circle of Willis which was described before him and he always acknowledged the earlier claims.
It is rare to find such an extraordinary story in the history of Medicine - No wonder it made Willis world famous for all times to come!
He was born in 1621.His research would changer the concepts which prevailed before his era. In the pre Willis era, the teachings of da Vinci, Vesalius and Berangario prevailed and brain was thought to be an organ of purification. Willis did a lot of work on Anatomy of the brain. He worked in collaboration with Christopher Wren and Richard Lower. His research in anatomy of the brain resulted in findings which were unexpected and very different from the views held then. He became famous. But for his research he needed to dissect human corpses. It was not easy to get them and many a time those were obtained by a 'forcible' donation
Today's story relates to one such episode where the body for research was obtained by a 'forced' donation - one Anne Green, a 22 year old housemaid who became pregnant by the grandson of her employer. She gave birth to a baby prematurely and hid the infant which promptly died. She was accused of infanticide, tried and convicted and was to be hanged to death for the offense.(This happened on the 14 th December 1650) This was a public ritual witnessed by many. They pinched her and pulled her down by the legs which was supposed to shorten the process and thereby reduce the duration of agonising asphyxia. Her body was pulled by so many people so violently that the court official was worried whether the rope would break and requested the people to leave the body alone. The body was given to William Petty for anatomy lectures at Oxford . When Petty and other doctors including Willis opened the coffin, the 'corpse' was said to have taken a breath. Willis raised the body to a sitting position the doctors opened the mouth and poured hot drinks down. This caused a cough and the doctors began to resuscitate her by rubbing the hands and feet. About 15 minutes later the eyes fluttered. The doctors began bloodletting and applied compression bandages to the arms and legs to increase the circulation (as it was believed then). They put her body on a bed besides that of another woman whose unfortunate job was to keep Anne's body warm. 12 hours after the official 'execution' Anne spoke a few words. After 4 days, she began to eat solid food. After a month, she was said to have fully recovered. Because her her unique resuscitation, Anne was later reprieved of her crime. Anne moved to the countryside taking the coffin as a souvenir. She married, had 3 children and lived for another 15 years.
Willis married Mary in 1657 and in 9 years of their married life had 8 children 4 sons and 4 daughters. All but 2 children died. Mary expired in 1666.
This episode made Willis very famous and his success resulted in jealousy from his colleagues. He had to face a lot of harassment He died relatively young at the age of 54. Willis is best known for his circle of Willis which was described before him and he always acknowledged the earlier claims.
It is rare to find such an extraordinary story in the history of Medicine - No wonder it made Willis world famous for all times to come!
Fascinating... you continue to enlighten us of our upkeep and remind us of our legacy... Miss your post hour lectures, and wish I could relearn those teachings again...
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