Thomas Willis Facts
Thomas Willis Facts
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| Interesting Thomas Willis Facts: |
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| Thomas Willis was born on a farm in Great Bedwyn. |
| In 1642 he earned an M.A. from Christ's Church, Oxford. |
| In 1646 he received his medical degree but had initial difficulty in opening a practice. |
| He spent several years at Oxford studying with a group of scientists who called themselves the experimental philosophical club. |
| Other club members were Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, John Locke and John Hooke. |
| One of his areas of interest was fermentation. |
| In 1659 he published Distribae duae medico-philosophiae on his research into the basis of life. |
| Willis remained a loyalist during the civil war and Anglican services were held at his home. |
| After the Restoration, Willis was rewarded for his loyalty to the Crown and the church. |
| From 1660 to 1675 he was a Professor of Natural Philosophy at Oxford University. |
| In 1664 he published Cerebri Anatome, cui accessit Nervorum descriptio et usus ("Anatomy of the Brain, with a Description of the Nerves and Their function"). |
| The first chapter of the book made a major contribution to anatomy by describing a systematic method for the study of the nervous system. |
| In the dedication to the book he states that anatomy "can unlock the secret places of Man's Mind and look into the living and breathing Chapel of the Deity." |
| During the seventeenth century many scientists studied the natural world to gain a deeper understanding of God and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ. |
| Willis hoped, by his study of anatomy, to find new information on the brain and soul for his Oxford lectures. |
| In 1667 he published Pathologiae cerebri et nervosi generis specimen. |
| In 1672 he published De anima brutorum which contained more of his nervous system studies. |
| Although Willis's work produced no religious ideas, it was the most detailed and accurate description of the nervous system up to that time. |
| It was the definitive book on the anatomy of the nervous system for 200 years. |
| He was the first to describe the continuity of arteries that supply blood to the brain and they are named the Circle of Willis in his honor. |
| In his writing Willis frequently noted the similarities in anatomical structures and their uses between humans and animals. |
| In 1671 he became the first to describe myasthenia gravis. |
| He is credited with identifying and named puerperal fever. |
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