How the circulation of the blood was discovered

Until the 16th century it was believed that blood circulated through the body by action of the arteries. One of the most prominent scientist of that time, Hieromymus Fabricius, during his time as a practicing surgeon, discovered one-way valves in veins, though it was beyond his capacity to find out their function. Working at the University of Padua in Italy he had as a student William Harvey, who appeared to be a very talented young scientist. After a series of groundbreaking researches, he proved that the heart is a center of circulatory system. His findings were widely recognized in England at once, though European scientists met them with scepticism.
Harvey was fated to make advances not only in the field of blood circulation, but he also debunk misconceptions about the role of the liver, the brain and the blood itself. The effect of his discoveries was that the vast majority of medical theories were reconsidered and a new footing for medicine was created.

[Good story.]