298 Britain's Heritage of Science 



Among other great physiologists and physicians, the 

 Swiss, Sir Theodore Turquet de Mayerne (godson of Theodore 

 Beza), who settled in London in 1611, has left us " Notes " 

 of the diseases of the great which, .to the medically minded, 

 are of the greatest interest. He almost diagnosed enteric, 

 and his observations on the fatal illness of Henry, Prince of 

 Wales, and the memoir he drew up in 1623 on the health 

 of James I., alike leave little to be desired in completeness 

 or in accuracy of detail. 



Before bringing to a close these short notices of those 

 who studied and wrote on the human body, whole or dis- 

 eased, a few lines must be given to John Mayow (1640- 

 1679), of Oxford, who followed the law, " especially in 

 the summer time at Bath." Yet, from his contributions 

 to science, one might well suppose that he had devoted 

 his whole time to research in chemistry and physiology. 

 He it was who showed that, in respiration, not the whole 

 air, but a part only of the air breathed in, takes an active 

 part in respiration, though he called this part " by a different 

 name, he meant what we now call oxygen." * 



Mayow showed that dark venous blood is changed to 

 bright red by taking up this unknown substance, and thus 

 was very near to discovering oxygen, for he fully grasped 

 the idea that the object of breathing is to cause an inter- 

 change of gases between the air and the blood, the former 

 giving off what he called its " nitro aero " constituent 

 (oxygen) taking away the " vapours engendered by the 

 blood." He was the first to find the seat of animal heat 

 in the muscles, to describe the double articulation of the 

 ribs and spine, and he discussed the function of the inter- 

 costal muscles in an entirely modern spirit. Had he been 

 spared he undoubtedly would have gone far, but he died 

 in Covent Garden at the too early age of thirty-five, having 

 been married a little time before " not altogether to his 

 content." 



Thomas Sydenham was one of the first physicians who 

 was convinced of the importance of constant and prolonged 

 observation at the bedside of the patient. He passed by 



1 Foster, Sir Michael, "The History of Physiology," Cambridge, 

 1901. 



