William Withering

William Withering (Wellington, Shropshire; March 17, 1741 - Birmingham, October 6, 1799) was a British physician, geologist, chemist, and botanist.

Biography

Withering studied Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and worked as a doctor from 1779 at the Birmingham General Hospital. It is said that a patient who had Withering had a weak heart that did not improve, however this patient who took a plant preparation, a traditional remedy from the area, improved. He investigated the cause of this improvement and discovered that the active substance responsible was found in the leaves of the Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea).

The active substance is currently known as digitalis, derived from the scientific name of the plant. In 1785, he published a work The Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses, containing reports on clinical trials and notes on the toxicity of digitalis.

He lived at Edgbaston Hall (now a golf club and nature reserve), in Birmingham, England, and was one of the members of the "Lunar Society".

In addition to his medical activity, he published a book on British Flora, which was printed in several editions. He also published a pioneering work on the classification of fungi in his time.

He is buried in the old church of Edgbaston, next to "hall". His tombstone, which has now been moved inside the church, has foxgloves engraved on the top, to commemorate his discovery. He is also remembered for the & # 34; Piedras de la Luna & # 34; from the "Lunar Society Moonstones", also in Birmingham.

Work

This list was taken from Sheldon, 2004:

• 1766 Dissertation on gangrenous anginaspastic
• 1773 "Experiments on different kinds of Marle found in Staffordshire" Phil Trans. 63: 161-2
• 1776 "A botanical arrangement of all the vegetables growing in Great Britain..." (two vols.) Publ Swinney, London
• 1779 "An account of the scarlet fever and sore throat, or scarlatina; particularly as it appeared at Birmingham in the year 1778" Publ Cadell London
• 1782 "An analysis of two mineral substance, vz. the Rowley rag-styone and the toad stone" Phil Trans 72: 327-36
• 1783 "Outlines of mineralogy" Publ Cadell, London (translation of the original in Latin Bergmann)
• 1784 "Experiments and observations on the terra ponderosa" Phil trans 74: 293-311
• 1785 "An account of the foxglove and some of its medical uses; with practical remarks on the dropsy, and some other diseases" Publ Swinney, Birmingham
• 1785 "The Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses"
• 1787 "A botanical arrangement of British plants..." 2.a ed. Publ Swinney, London
• 1788 Letter to Joseph Priestley on the principle of acidity, the decomposition of water. Phil Trans 78: 319-330
• 1790 "An account of some extraordinary effects of lightning" Phil Trans 80: 293-5
• 1793 "An account of the scarlet fever and sore throat..." 2.a ed Publ Robinson, London
• 1793 "A chemical analysis of waters at Caldas" extracted from Actas da Academica real das Sciencias
• 1794 "A new method for preserving fungi, ascertained by chymical experiments" Trans Linnean Soc 2: 263-6
• 1795 "Analyse chimica da aqua das Caldas da Rainha" Lisbon (a chemical analysis of the water of Caldas da Rainha)
• 1796 "Observations on the pneumatic medicine" Ann Med 1: 392-3
• 1796 "An arrangement of British plants..." 3.a ed. Publ Swinney, London
• 1799 "An account of a convenient method of inhaling the vapour of volatile substances" Ann Med 3: 47-51
• "British Flora",

Bibliography used

• William Withering Junior (1822). Miscellaneous Tracts. Two volumes: a memory for the son of Withering, and a collection of many of his writings
• Louis H Roddis (1936). William Withering - The Introduction of Digitalis into Clinical Practice. Breve biography
• TW Peck and KD Wilkinson (1950). William Withering of Birmingham. Detailed biography
• Ronald T Mann (1985). William Withering and the Foxglove. A review of "Osler bequest": collection of cards by Withering
• J K Aronson (1985). An Account of the Foxglove and its Medical Uses 1785-1985. Annotated review of Withering's work, with a modern analysis of the cases described
• Jenny Uglow (2002). The Lunar Men. ISBN 0-571-19647-0. An overview of the members of the Lunar Society, their efforts, and relationships