This deep dive covers Galen vs Harvey within Harvey and Circulation for GCSE History. Revise Harvey and Circulation in Medicine Through Time for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 2 of 14 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
🧠 Galen vs Harvey
| Galen's Theory (Wrong) | Harvey's Discovery (1628) |
|---|---|
| Blood made in the liver from food | Blood circulates — the same blood goes round and round |
| Blood "used up" by organs | Blood returns to the heart via veins |
| Blood passes through invisible holes in heart's septum | No holes exist — blood goes to lungs to get oxygen |
| Arteries and veins have different blood | Same blood flows through both — connected by capillaries |
Practice questions for Harvey and Circulation
In which year did William Harvey publish 'On the Motion of the Heart'?
According to Galen's theory, where was blood produced in the body?
Quick recall flashcards
What did Galen believe about blood?
Made in liver, "used up" by organs, passed through invisible holes in heart
What does blood circulation mean?
The same blood circulates continuously around the body, pumped by the heart — it is not made in the liver and 'used up' (as Galen believed)