Willis’s Circle? Exploring the Conflict Between Galenic and Harveian Physicians Through Treatises on Respiration

Thomas Willis was one of the most influential physicians of seventeenth-century England, yet his career has received less scholarly scrutiny than many of his contemporaries. Willis promoted the belief system of William Harvey, contrasting the Galenic traditions of the previous millennia. I argue that Willis and his circle’s work on respiration and respiratory illnesses showcase the competitive and aggressive environment of mid-seventeenth-century English medical research.