William Harvey
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can evaluate the impact of William Harvey’s work on blood.
Key learning points
- There was growing emphasis on dissection as a part of Renaissance physicians' medical training.
- Galen wrote that blood was made in the liver and burned up in the body.
- William Harvey's theory of blood argued that it circulated throughout the body constantly.
- William Harvey's ideas challenged thousands of years of medical knowledge and practice.
- Many other physicians rejected or ignored William Harvey's new ideas.
Keywords
Circulation - the movement of blood around your body
Transform - to change something completely, usually to improve it
Common misconception
Correcting Galen's mistakes led to immediate improvements in medical practices.
Despite Harvey's theory suggesting bloodletting would be dangerous, most physicians continued to recommend the procedure as a common form of treatment.
Teacher tip
Ask pupils to discuss the following in pairs: 'how could it be argued that Harvey benefitted from the work already completed by Andreas Vesalius?'. After sharing answers, get them to debate who had the biggest impact on anatomy and Renaissance medicine: Vesalius or Harvey.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.An is a smooth, thick substance that is used on painful or damaged skin.
Q2.How many drawings were included in 'On the Fabric of the Human Body'?
Q3.How did Fabricius discover that there are valves in human veins?
Q4.What did cauterisation involve?
Q5.Which university was Vesalius working at when he disproved some of Galen's teachings?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following individuals into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the movement of blood around the body referred to as?
Q2.How was anatomy taught at Cambridge University in the late 16th century?
Q3.Which organ did Galen claim made blood?
Q4.Which medical treatment did William Harvey's theories seem to challenge?
Q5.Which statement is correct?
Q6.Why did William Harvey dissect frogs as part of his research into blood circulation?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: William Harvey, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: William Harvey, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
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