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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Implantation of Total Artificial Heart in Congenital Heart Disease
Published on: July 18, 2014
[Cardiology was born with the modern medical science]
1Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, México, D.F., México.
Insights
William Harvey
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Medical History
- History of Science
Abstract:
Modern medical science was born in the post-Renaissance age and began to consolidate towards the middle of the XVII century thanks to physicists, physiologists and biologists, most of whom were direct or indirect pupils of Galileo. The discovery of blood circulation by Harvey is now considered the only progress in physiology at the beginning of the XVII century, comparable to the current advances seen in physical sciences. The history of this exploit could be written from view point of the progressive advance in knowledge. In his experiments, Harvey referred to the authentic not imaginary experiments, and put forward irrefutable quantitative arguments. We can therefore claim that his discovery of blood circulation was the first proper explanation of an organic process and the starting point leading to experimental physiology. So it seems justified to assert that modern medical science did not all rise suddenly, but was gradually structured starting from the middle of the XVII century following the path traced by William Harvey in light of Galileo's thought.
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