HARVEY AND EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATION 41 



father of William was at one time the mayor of Folkestone. 

 Young Harvey, after live years in the King's school at Canter- 

 bury, went to Cambridge, and in 1593, at the age of sixteen, 

 entered Caius College. He had already shown a fondness 

 for observations upon the organization of animals, but it is 

 unlikely that he was able to cultivate this at the university. 

 There his studies consisted mainly of Latin and Greek, with 

 some training in debate and elementary instruction in the 

 science of physics. 



At Padua. — In 1597, at the age of nineteen, he was grad- 

 uated with the Arts degree, and the following year he turned 

 his steps toward Italy in search of the best medical instruc- 

 tion that could be found at that time in all the world. He 

 selected the great university of Padua as his place of sojourn, 

 being attracted thither by the fame of some of its medical 

 teachers. Lie was particularly fortunate in receiving his 

 instruction in anatomy and physiology from Fabricius, one 

 of the most learned and highly honored teachers in Italy. 

 The fame of this master of medicine, who, from his birth- 

 place, is usually given the full name of Fabricius ab Aqua- 

 pendente, had spread to the intellectual centers of the world, 

 where his work as anatomist and surgeon was especially 

 recognized. A fast friendship sprang up between the young 

 medical student and this ripe anatomist, the influence of which 

 must have been very great in shaping thefuture work of Harvey. 



Fabricius was already sixty-one years of age, and when 

 Harvey came to Padua was perfecting his knowledge upon 

 the valves of the veins. The young student was taken fully 

 into his confidence, and here was laid that first familiarity 

 with the circulatory system, the knowledge of which Harvey 

 was destined so much to advance and amplify. But it was 

 the stimulus of his master's friendship, rather than what he 

 taught about the circulation, that was of assistance to Harvey. 

 For the views of Fabricius in reference to the circulation were 



