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Thomas Willis FRS (27 January 1621 – 11 November 1675) was an English doctor who played an important part in the history of
anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...
,
neurology Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...
and
psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial p ...
, and was a founding member of the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
.


Life

Willis was born on his parents' farm in
Great Bedwyn Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun about southwest of Hungerford, southeast of Swindon and southeast of Marlborough. The Kennet and Avon Canal and the Reading to Taun ...
, Wiltshire, where his father held the stewardship of the manor. He was a kinsman of the
Willys baronets There have been two baronetcies- both extinct- granted to the Willises of Fen Ditton, both in the Baronetage of England. The Willis (also Willys) Baronetcy, of Fen Ditton in Cambridgeshire, was first created in the Baronetage of England on 15 De ...
of
Fen Ditton Fen Ditton is a village on the northeast edge of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. The parish covers an area of . Fen Ditton lies on the east bank of the River Cam, on the road from Cambridge to Clayhithe, and close to junction 34 of the A ...
, Cambridgeshire. He graduated
M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
from
Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniq ...
in 1642.Willis, Thomas
The Galileo Project. Galileo.rice.edu. Retrieved on 17 July 2012.
In the Civil War years he was a royalist, dispossessed of the family farm at
North Hinksey North Hinksey is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, immediately west of Oxford. The civil parish includes the large settlement of Botley, effectively a suburb of Oxford. North Hinksey was part of Berkshire until the 1974 b ...
by Parliamentary forces. In the 1640s, Willis was one of the royal physicians to
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
. Once qualified B. Med. in 1646, he began as an active physician by regularly attending the market at Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He maintained an Anglican position; an Anglican congregation met at his lodgings in the 1650s, including John Fell,
John Dolben John Dolben (1625–1686) was an English priest and Church of England bishop and archbishop. Life Early life He was the son of William Dolben (died 1631), prebendary of Lincoln and bishop-designate of Gloucester, and Elizabeth Williams ...
, and
Richard Allestree Richard Allestree or Allestry ( ; 1621/22 – 28 January 1681) was an English Royalist churchman and provost of Eton College from 1665. Life The son of Robert Allestree, descended from an old Derbyshire family, he was born at Uppington in Shr ...
. Fell's father Samuel Fell had been expelled as Dean of Christ Church in 1647; Willis married Samuel Fell's daughter Mary, and his brother-in-law John Fell would later be his biographer. He employed
Robert Hooke Robert Hooke FRS (; 18 July 16353 March 1703) was an English polymath active as a scientist, natural philosopher and architect, who is credited to be one of two scientists to discover microorganisms in 1665 using a compound microscope that ...
as an assistant, in the period 1656–8; this probably was another Fell family connection, since Samuel Fell knew Hooke's father in
Freshwater, Isle of Wight Freshwater is a large village and civil parish at the western end of the Isle of Wight, England. The southern, coastal part of the village is Freshwater Bay, named for the adjacent small cove. Freshwater sits at the western end of ...
. One of several Oxford cliques of those interested in science grew up around Willis and Christ Church. Besides Hooke, others in the group were
Nathaniel Hodges Nathaniel Hodges M.D. (1629–1688) was an English physician, known for his work during the Great Plague of London and his written account ''Loimologia'' of it. Early life The son of Dr. Thomas Hodges, vicar of Kensington, he was born there o ...
,
John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism". Considered one of ...
, Richard Lower,
Henry Stubbe Henry Stubbe or Stubbes (1632–12 July, 1676) was an English Royal physician, Latinist, Historian, Dissident, Writer and Scholar. Life He was born in Partney, Lincolnshire, and educated at Westminster School. Given patronage as a child by the ...
and John Ward. (Locke went on to study with
Thomas Sydenham Thomas Sydenham (10 September 1624 – 29 December 1689) was an English physician. He was the author of ''Observationes Medicae'' which became a standard textbook of medicine for two centuries so that he became known as 'The English Hippocrate ...
, who would become Willis's leading rival, and who both politically and medically held some incompatible views). In the broader Oxford scene, he was a colleague in the " Oxford club" of experimentalists with Ralph Bathurst,
Robert Boyle Robert Boyle (; 25 January 1627 – 31 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, alchemist and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders ...
,
William Petty Sir William Petty FRS (26 May 1623 – 16 December 1687) was an English economist, physician, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to s ...
,
John Wilkins John Wilkins, (14 February 1614 – 19 November 1672) was an Anglican clergyman, natural philosopher, and author, and was one of the founders of the Royal Society. He was Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death. Wilkins is one of the ...
and
Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 church ...
. Willis was on close terms with Wren's sister Susan Holder, skilled in the healing of wounds. He and Petty were among of the physicians involved in treating Anne Greene, a woman who survived her own hanging and was pardoned because her survival was widely held to be an act of
divine intervention Divine intervention is an event that occurs when a deity (i.e. God or a god) becomes actively involved in changing some situation in human affairs. In contrast to other kinds of divine action, the expression "divine ''intervention''" implies that ...
. The event was widely written about at the time, and helped to build Willis's career and reputation. Willis lived on
Merton Street Merton Street is a historic and picturesque cobbled street in central Oxford, England.
, Oxford, from 1657 to 1667. In 1656 and 1659 he published two significant medical works, ''De Fermentatione'' and ''De Febribus''. These were followed by the 1664 volume on the brain, which was a record of collaborative experimental work. From 1660 until his death, he was
Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy The Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy is the name of a chair at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford. Overview The Sedleian Chair was founded by Sir William Sedley who, by his will dated 20 October 1618, left the sum o ...
at Oxford. At the time of the formation of the
Royal Society of London The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...
, he was on the 1660 list of priority candidates, and became a Fellow in 1661. Henry Stubbe became a polemical opponent of the Society, and used his knowledge of Willis's earlier work before 1660 to belittle some of the claims made by its proponents. Willis later worked as a physician in
Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
, London, this coming about after he treated
Gilbert Sheldon Gilbert Sheldon (19 June 1598 – 9 November 1677) was an English religious leader who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1663 until his death. Early life Sheldon was born in Stanton, Staffordshire in the parish of Ellastone, on 19 J ...
in 1666. He had a successful medical practice, in which he applied both his understanding of anatomy and known remedies, attempting to integrate the two; he mixed both
iatrochemical Iatrochemistry (; also known as chemiatria or chemical medicine) is a branch of both chemistry and medicine. Having its roots in alchemy, iatrochemistry seeks to provide chemical solutions to diseases and medical ailments. This area of science ...
and mechanical views. According to Noga Arikha: Among his patients was the philosopher Anne Conway, with whom he had intimate relations, but although he was consulted, Willis failed to relieve her headaches. Willis is mentioned in
John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the '' Brief Lives'', his collection of short biographical pieces. He was a pioneer archaeologist ...
's ''
Brief Lives ''Brief Lives'' is a collection of short biographies written by John Aubrey (1626–1697) in the last decades of the 17th century. Writing Aubrey initially began collecting biographical material to assist the Oxford scholar Anthony Wood, who ...
''; their families became linked generations later through the marriage of Aubrey's distant cousin
Sir John Aubrey, 6th Baronet Sir John Aubrey, 6th Baronet (4 June 1739 – 14 March 1826) was a British Tory politician. In 1786, he succeeded to his father's baronetcy. Baptised in Boarstall in Buckinghamshire on 2 July 1739, he was the son of Sir Thomas Aubrey, 5th Barone ...
of
Llantrithyd Llantrithyd (also Llantriddyd) is a rural village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The Aubrey Baronets were lords of the manor of Llantrithyd for centuries: the family died out in the 1850s. St Illtyd's Church The church of St Il ...
to Martha Catherine Carter, the grand-niece of Sir William Willys, 6th
Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...
of
Fen Ditton Fen Ditton is a village on the northeast edge of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. The parish covers an area of . Fen Ditton lies on the east bank of the River Cam, on the road from Cambridge to Clayhithe, and close to junction 34 of the A ...
.


Research activity

Willis was a pioneer in research into the anatomy of the brain, nervous system and muscles. His most notable discovery was the "
Circle of Willis The circle of Willis (also called Willis' circle, loop of Willis, cerebral arterial circle, and Willis polygon) is a circulatory anastomosis that supplies blood to the brain and surrounding structures in reptiles, birds and mammals, including hu ...
", a circle of arteries on the base of the brain. Willis's anatomy of the brain and nerves, as described in his ''Cerebri anatome'' of 1664, is minute and elaborate. This work coined the term ''
neurology Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...
'', and was not the result of his own personal and unaided exertions; he acknowledged his debt to
Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churche ...
, who provided drawings, Thomas Millington, and his fellow anatomist Richard Lower. It abounds in new information, and presents an enormous contrast with the vaguer efforts of his predecessors. In 1667 Willis published ''Pathologicae cerebri, et nervosi generis specimen'', an important work on the pathology and neurophysiology of the brain. In it he developed a new theory of the cause of epilepsy and other convulsive diseases, and contributed to the development of psychiatry. In 1672 he published the earliest English work on medical psychology, ''Two Discourses concerning the Soul of Brutes, which is that of the Vital and Sensitive of Man''. Willis could be seen as an early pioneer of the mind-brain
supervenience In philosophy, supervenience refers to a relation between sets of properties or sets of facts. X is said to supervene on Y if and only if some difference in Y is necessary for any difference in X to be possible. Some examples include: * Whether t ...
claim prominent in present-day neuropsychiatry and philosophy of mind. Unfortunately, his enlightenment did not improve his treatment of patients; in some cases, he advocated hitting the patient over the head with sticks. Willis was the first to number the
cranial nerves Cranial nerves are the nerves that emerge directly from the brain (including the brainstem), of which there are conventionally considered twelve pairs. Cranial nerves relay information between the brain and parts of the body, primarily to and f ...
in the order in which they are now usually enumerated by anatomists. He noted the parallel lines of the mesolobe (corpus callosum), afterwards minutely described by
Félix Vicq-d'Azyr Félix Vicq d'Azyr (; 23 April 1748 – 20 June 1794) was a French physician and anatomist, the originator of comparative anatomy and discoverer of the theory of homology in biology. Biography Vicq d'Azyr was born in Valognes, Normandy, the son ...
. He seems to have recognised the communication of the convoluted surface of the brain and that between the lateral cavities beneath the fornix. He described the corpora striata and optic thalami; the four orbicular eminences, with the bridge, which he first named annular protuberance; and the white mammillary eminences, behind the
infundibulum An infundibulum (Latin for ''funnel''; plural, ''infundibula'') is a funnel-shaped cavity or organ. Anatomy * Brain: the pituitary stalk, also known as the ''infundibulum'' and ''infundibular stalk'', is the connection between the hypothalamus an ...
. In the
cerebellum The cerebellum (Latin for "little brain") is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as or even larger. In humans, the cerebe ...
he remarks the arborescent arrangement of the white and grey matter and gives a good account of the internal
carotid In anatomy, the left and right common carotid arteries (carotids) (Entry "carotid"
in
basilar artery The basilar artery () is one of the arteries that supplies the brain with oxygen-rich blood. The two vertebral arteries and the basilar artery are known as the vertebral basilar system, which supplies blood to the posterior part of the circle of ...
. Willis replaced Nemesius's doctrine. He deduced that the ventricles contained cerebrospinal fluid which collected waste products from effluents. Willis recognized the cortex as the substrate of cognition and claimed that the gyrencephalia was related to a progressive increase in the complexity of cognition. In his functional scheme, the origin of voluntary movements was placed at the cerebral cortex while involuntary movements came from the cerebellum. He coined the term ''mellitus'' in
diabetes mellitus Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
. An old name for the condition is "Willis's disease". He observed what had been known for many centuries elsewhere, that the urine is sweet in patients (
glycosuria Glycosuria is the excretion of glucose into the urine. Ordinarily, urine contains no glucose because the kidneys are able to reabsorb all of the filtered glucose from the tubular fluid back into the bloodstream. Glycosuria is nearly always caused ...
). His observations on diabetes formed a chapter of ''Pharmaceutice rationalis'' (1674). Further research came from
Johann Conrad Brunner Johann Conrad Brunner (16 January 1653 – 2 October 1727) was a Swiss anatomist, especially cited for his work on the pancreas and duodenum. Life Brunner was born in Diessenhofen, and studied medicine in Schaffhausen, Strasbourg, Amsterd ...
, who had met Willis in London. Willis was the first to identify achalasia cardia in 1672.


Influence

Willis's work gained currency in France through the writings of Daniel Duncan. The philosopher Richard Cumberland quickly applied the findings on brain anatomy to argue a case against
Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5/15 April 1588 – 4/14 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book '' Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influ ...
's view of the primacy of the passions. Willis's books, including'' Cerebri anatome'' and selected works in five volumes (1664) are listed as once in the library of Sir
Thomas Browne Sir Thomas Browne (; 19 October 160519 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curi ...
. His son Edward Browne, who was President of the
Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...
from 1704 to 1707, also owned books by Willis.


Family

By his wife, Mary Fell, Willis had five daughters and four sons, of whom four children survived early childhood. After Mary's death in 1670, he married the widow Elizabeth Calley, daughter of
Matthew Nicholas Matthew Nicholas (1594–1661) was an English Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. Life He was a younger brother of Sir Edward Nicholas, born on 26 September 1594. He was elected scholar of Winchester College in 1607. He matriculated as scholar ...
, in 1672: there were no children of this marriage.


Fenny Stratford church

Browne Willis Browne Willis (16 September 1682 – 5 February 1760) was an antiquary, author, numismatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1708. Early life Willis was born at Blandford St Mary, Dorset, the eldest son of Thomas Will ...
, the antiquary, was son of Thomas Willis (1658–1699), the eldest son of Thomas and Mary. Between 1724 and 1730, Browne Willis rebuilt St. Martin's Church on the site of the old Chantry Chapel of St. Margaret and St. Catherine at Fenny Stratford. He erected the church as a memorial to his grandfather Willis who lived in St. Martin's Lane in the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London and who died on St. Martin's Day, 11 November 1675.


Works

* 1663 ''Diatribae duae medico-philosophicae – quarum prior agit de fermentatione '
on Google Books
* 1664 ''Cerebri anatome: cui accessit nervorum descriptio et usus'' * 1667 ''Pathologiae Cerebri et Nervosi Generis Specimen'' * 1672 ''De Anima Brutorum'' * 1675 ''Pharmaceutice rationalis. Sive Diatriba de medicamentorum operationibus in humano corpore'
on Google Books
* 1675
A plain and easie method for preserving (by God's blessing) those that are well from the infection of the plague, or any contagious distemper, in city, camp, fleet, &c., and for curing such as are infected with it
' * 1677 ''Pharmaceutice rationalis sive diatriba de medicamentorum operationibus in humano corpore'
Digital version
of Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf * 1681 ''Clarissimi Viri Thomae Willis, Medicinae Doctoris, Naturalis Philosophiae Professoris Oxoniensis ... Opera Omnia : Cum Elenchis Rerum Et Indicibus necessariis, ut & multis Figuris aeneis'
Digital version
of Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf * 1683 ''Dissertation sur les urines tirée des ouvrages de Willis'
Digital version


References


Further reading

* *
Carl Zimmer Carl Zimmer (born 1966) is a popular science writer, blogger, columnist, and journalist who specializes in the topics of evolution, parasites, and heredity. The author of many books, he contributes science essays to publications such as ''The ...
, ''Soul Made Flesh'', 2004. *
Eduardo Punset Eduard Punset i Casals (; 9 November 1936 – 22 May 2019) was a Spanish politician, lawyer, economist, and science popularizer. He held a degree in Law from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a Master's in Economic Sciences from the ...
, ''The Soul is in the brain'', 2006. *Kenneth Dewhurst, ''Thomas Willis as a Physician'', Los Angeles:
University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facul ...
, 1964. *Kenneth Dewhurst, ''Willis's Oxford Casebook'', Oxford: Sandford Publications, 1981. . *H. Isler, ''Thomas Willis. Ein Wegbereiter der modernen Medizin, 1621–1675'', Stuttgart: Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft, 1965. *J.T. Hughes, ''Thomas Willis (1621–1675): His Life and Work'', London:
Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. History The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chambers ...
, 1991. *M. Simonazzi, ''Thomas Willis e il sistema nervoso'', in Id., ''La malattia inglese. La melanconia nella tradizione filosofica e medica dell'Inghilterra moderna'', Bologna: Il Mulino, 2004, pp. 185–252. *


External links


The Willis Fleming Historical Trust


*
Andrew Williams on "Thomas Willis’ Practice of Paediatric Neurology and Neurodisability." Pulse Project Podcast (23 July 2009, Oxford)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Thomas English anatomists People from Wiltshire 1621 births 1675 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Sedleian Professors of Natural Philosophy