The Circle of Willis, a network of arteries located at the base of the brain, stands as a primary contribution to medical science from Thomas Willis. Active during the seventeenth century, he bridged classical traditions and emerging experimental methods to fundamentally redefine the understanding of human neurology, anatomy, and physiological processes within the Kingdom of England.
Academic Foundations and Royalist Allegiances
Born in Great Bedwyn in 1621, Willis pursued his education at Christ Church, Oxford, where he eventually earned a Doctor of Medicine. During the English Civil War, his Royalist sympathies led to the loss of his family property in North Hinksey. He served as a physician to Charles I during the 1640s. Following the war, he maintained a successful practice in Oxfordshire, notably assisting in the treatment of Anne Greene, an event that bolstered his professional reputation.
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While serving as the Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Oxford from 1660, Willis became a central figure in a circle of experimentalists. His collaborative approach involved assistants such as Robert Hooke and anatomist Richard Lower. His 1664 work, Cerebri anatome, provided an exhaustive account of the brain and nerves. This study introduced the term neurology and benefited from detailed anatomical drawings provided by Sir Christopher Wren.
Neuroanatomical Discoveries
Willis provided early insights into the localization of cognition within the cerebral cortex, challenging the prevailing notion that brain ventricles served as the primary seat of mental function. He was the first to enumerate the cranial nerves in the sequence currently utilized by modern anatomists. Additionally, his investigations into diabetes, specifically the observation of sweet urine, earned the condition the historical designation of Willis's disease.
London Practice and Final Years
In 1666, after treating Gilbert Sheldon, Willis moved his practice to Westminster, London. His medical approach integrated iatrochemical theories with mechanical observations. Throughout his career, he remained deeply involved with the Royal Society, serving as a Fellow from 1661. He published several significant medical texts, including De Fermentatione, De Febribus, and Two Discourses concerning the Soul of Brutes, before his death in 1675. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Fast facts
- Born: 1621, Great Bedwyn
- Died: 1675, London
- Education: Christ Church, Oxford
- Positions: Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy
- Memberships: Royal Society, Royal College of Physicians
- Major Work: Cerebri anatome (1664)
- Burial: Westminster Abbey
Questions readers ask
What is the Circle of Willis?
It is a circle of arteries at the base of the brain discovered by Thomas Willis during his anatomical research.
What contribution did Willis make to diabetes research?
He observed and recorded that the urine of diabetic patients was sweet, an observation that led to the condition being historically called Willis's disease.
Achievements
- Fellow of the Royal Society
- Held posts at University of Oxford
