to produce the precise form of combination or 

 variation which is needed for our purpose. 



Harvey in a true sense adopted the Baconian 

 system of interrogating nature by appeal to obser- 

 vation and experiment and drawing conclusions out 

 of the facts presented, and yet it is evident that 

 the "Novum Organum" was not published till after 

 the discovery of the circulation was made. Bacon's 

 new method of conducting research and discovering 

 the truths of nature was placed before the public 

 in 1620. Harvey's work on the circulation, "Exer- 

 citatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis 

 animalibus," was not published till 1628, but it has 

 been generally allowed that his discovery was made 

 known in his first course of Lumleian lectures de- 

 livered at the College in 1616 ; and, thanks to the 

 meritorious labours of a Committee of the College, 

 this has now been rendered open to verification by 

 the very interesting volume just prepared, and on 

 the point of being issued, containing a reproduction 

 in autotype form of his original lecture notes in his 

 own handwriting. Harvey, then, must have been 

 thoroughly in the van of progress taking place in 



