William Harvey was an English physician who made highly influential contributions to the scientific understanding of anatomy and physiology. He achieved historical significance as the first known physician to describe completely, and in significant detail, both pulmonary and systemic circulation. His work explained the specific process of blood being pumped to the brain and the rest of the human body by the heart.\n\nAlthough Harvey's comprehensive description was groundbreaking, he was not the first to contemplate these mechanisms. Earlier writers had provided important precursors to some of his theories. Specifically, thinkers such as Realdo Colombo, Michael Servetus, and Jacques Dubois had previously published work that paved the way for Harvey's eventual synthesis and complete description of the circulatory system.
