William Harvey, physician and scientist.

William Harvey was born in 1578 and died in 1657. He studied arts at the University of Cambridge and medicine at the University of Padua. He was a Fellow of the College of Physicians of London and physician to St Bartholomew's Hospital and to King James I and King Charles I. His discovery of the circulation of the blood was announced in his Lumleian Lectures to the College of Physicians and later published in his book, De Motu Cordis. His other major work was on embryology, published under the title De Generatione Animalium. Harvey was distinguished in many fields of medicine and medical science and is widely regarded as the founder of modern physiology.     

Theodore Brown Rasmussen (1910-2002): epilepsy surgeon,scientist, and teacher

Theodore Brown Rasmussen succeeded Wilder Penfield as director of the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and held this post from 1960 to 1972. During his career, Rasmussen probably performed more operations for epilepsy than any other surgeon of his time; he became the foremost authority in this field. His meticulous follow-up analyses of the MNI seizure series provided substantial evidence for the success of surgery in the treatment of focal epilepsy. In addition, he made significant contributions to surgery of the pituitary gland for control of cancer, treatment of cerebral and spinal tumors, application of the intracarotid Amytal test for lateralization of speech and memory function, and characterization and treatment of epilepsy accompanied by chronic encephalitis, now referred to as Rasmussen syndrome. His painstaking attention to surgical details as well as his insistence on close monitoring of patient care and critical scrutiny of clinical results marked him as an outstanding teacher and role model for young neurosurgeons and neuroscientists.     

Charles R. Drew: surgeon, scientist, and educator.

The first African-American Surgeon to achieve extensive training in medical research in the modern era was Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950) who completed a doctoral degree in medical sciences at Columbia University in 1940. He became the director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank program during World War II and received many accolades for his work with plasma. This historical vignette reviews the details of his life as a scientist and surgical educator while fighting the overpowering racism which black professionals were subjected to during that time. The controversial aspects and facts of his premature death in an automobile accident in the South are explored as well.     

Henry Ingersoll Bowditch (1808-82): American physician, public health advocate and social reformer

Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, a Bostonian physician from the mid-19th century, lived a passionate life full of commitment and devotion to various noble causes--he was a champion of public health, an advocate for inclusion of women in medicine and a staunch abolitionist, all unpopular social perspectives at that time in medical and political history. Seemingly difficult personality traits including his stubbornness and moralistic outlook were likely 'adaptive' as he confronted the political reality of major institutional change. His interest in statistical trends and environmental influences and his inductive reasoning led to a deeper understanding of consumption (tuberculosis), the widespread diagnostic use of the stethoscope and thoracocentesis.