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William Harvey's research on the veins of bandaged arms led to his discovery of the correlation between the heart and the circulation of blood through the body.
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1578-1657 A.D. William Harvey
The English physician William Harvey was the first to explain how our pumping hearts circulate blood. Though circulation remained the primary focus of his medical research, Harvey also studied animal reproduction, particularly in chickens and deer. Harvey came to understand that menstrual blood did not contribute to the formation of a fetus, putting Aristotle's idea to rest. Harvey also questioned the direct role of semen in reproduction. He suggested that an egg found inside a female became fertilized by means of a kind of infection set in motion by the sexual act.
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