18th Century Portrait of Thomas Willis, MD, 17th Century Pioneer of Neurology & Psychiatry

This beautiful engraved portrait measures 15.88" in height by 10" in width. It has very wide margins. There is faint spotting in the margins, but the print is otherwise in excellent condition.

Thomas Willis, MD (1621-1675) was an English doctor and anatomist, who played an important part in the history of anatomy, neurology and psychiatry. He was a founding member of the Royal Society. Willis was a pioneer in research into the anatomy of the brain, nervous system and muscles. His most notable discovery was the "Circle of Willis" (named after him), which is a circle of connected arteries at the base of the brain. It receives blood from the heart via the cerebral arteries and gives off major arterial branches which supply blood to the brain. Willis was the first to number the cranial nerves at the base of the skull in the order still in use today. His major publication "Cerebri Anatome" was published in 1664. In it he coined the term neurology. The great English architect Sir Christopher Wren provided drawings, as did Thomas Millington, and the anatomist Richard Lower. In 1667 Willis published "Pathologicae cerebri, et nervosi generis specimen", an important work on the pathology and neurophysiology of the brain. In it he developed a new theory of the cause of epilepsy and other convulsive diseases, and contributed to the development of psychiatry. In 1672 Willis published the earliest English work on medical psychology. He also promoted a new theory of the cause of epilepsy and other convulsive diseases and he contributed to the development of the field of psychiatry.

George Vertue (1684-1756) was an English engraver, artist and publisher, as well as a researcher on the history of British art. He was a member of the Academy of Painting, as well as the Society of Antiquaries. He created around five hundred portraits and a similar number of published plates were devoted to antiquarian subjects.

Jacobus Houbraken (1698-1780) was a Dutch engraver who devoted himself almost entirely to portraiture. He produced a published record of the lives of artists from the Dutch Golden Age. In many cases his portraits are the only likenesses left of these people. Houbraken He collaborated with the historian Thomas Birch and artist George Vertue, on the project entitled, "Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain", published in parts in London from 1743 to 1752. From 1752 to 1759 he worked with the historian Jan Wagenaar (1709–1773) on his 21 part "Vaderlandsche Historie", published by Isaac Tirion in Amsterdam.