Richard Lower is widely regarded as one of the finest physicians Oxford has ever produced. He is a pioneer of numerous ground-breaking concepts in medical science. Lower studied medicine at Christ Church College, Oxford, under the supervision of Thomas Wills and began practicing medicine prior to earning his degree. Wills, impressed by Lower’s brilliance, appointed him as his assistant. Richard Lower introduced some of the most brilliant concepts in the history of medicine while working for Wills. In the 17th century, his works on transfusion and the cardiopulmonary system were nothing short of marvels, owing to his fruitful years at Oxford and the Royal Society. He is also credited with some significant contributions to medical science, including the ‘Tractatus de Corde’ and ‘Cerebri anatome’. Lower was forced to resign from the court in his later years due to his protestant and anti-popish sentiments, but his theories and contributions are immortal in the annals of medical history. Explore the biography below to learn more about Richard Lower’s childhood, career, and life.
Education & Childhood
Richard Lower was born in St. Tudy, Cornwall, in 1631 to Margery and Humphry Billing. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Westminster School and a master’s degree from Christ Church, Oxford. He met John Locke in
Westminster and Robert Boyle and Thomas Wills in Oxford, who later founded the Royal Society. John Locke and Robert Boyle became his research companions. He began his medical career and research under the tutelage of Thomas Wills. He earned a B.A. in 1653 and an M.A. in 1655.
Richard Lower worked for Thomas Wills at Oxford. Lower collaborated with him on nervous system research. Meanwhile, he conducted research on the heart’s function and the circulation of blood as it passes through the lungs.
He developed some ground-breaking concepts and demonstrated that it is possible to transfuse blood between animals or between animals and humans; he successfully performed his first transfusion in 1665 at Oxford, transferring blood from one animal’s artery to another animal’s vein. He relocated to London in 1666 after receiving his medical degree in 1665, where Thomas Wills had already relocated.
Years As A Member Of The Royal Society
He initially settled in Hatton Garden, London, but frequently relocated. After hearing the results of the transfusion, the Royal Society of London was eager to conduct an experiment and invited Lower to join the society. Richard Lower became a member of the Royal society in the middle of 1667.
He collaborated closely with the Royal Society in London and became involved in its scientific activities. Though he declined the position of curator in the society, he joined a committee that audited the society’s books.
He collaborated with Sir Edmund King, a student of Wills, in 1667. They were able to successfully transfuse blood from a sheep to a mentally ill man. Lower was always convinced that infusing new blood or removing old blood would benefit humanity. No one was prepared for such a process, however, until an eccentric scholar named Arthur Coga agreed. The procedure was carried out in 1667 at the Royal Society.
Though it initially gained popularity in Italy and France, theological and medical debates resulted in France’s prohibition of transfusion. Meanwhile, Richard Lower completed ‘De Catarrhis,’ which is widely considered to be one of his major works. He disproved the theory that nasal secretions are an overflow from the brain in his book.
In 1669, he also wrote ‘Tractatus de Corde’ and presented it to the Royal Society; the work concerned the heart and lungs’ function. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1671 and 1675. After the death of Thomas Wills in 1675, Lower engaged in private medical practice; as a result, he did not have much time to conduct experiments.
He worked at the Royal Society on cardiopulmonary function and transfusion. In 1678, Lower resigned from the Royal Society. Despite his brief tenure at the Royal Society, he established a reputation as one of the finest seventeenth-century physiologists.
Years Later And Death
Lower looked after Charles II during his illness. Following Charles II’s death, James II ascended to the throne, and Lower lost his court appointment, owing to his protestant and anti-popish sentiments, which were associated with the Whig party to which Charles II belonged.
Lower spent the remainder of his years in Cornwall, dying of a severe fever on 17 January 1691. He bequeathed his entire estate to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London and to Irish and French protestant refugees in his will.
Legacy of Richard
Richard Lower was the first physician to perform transfusions between animals and humans. He will forever be remembered for his groundbreaking work in the field of transfusion.’Tractatus de Corde’ works.
Estimated Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Richard is unknown.