Francis Glisson
Encyclopedia
Francis Glisson was a British
physician
, anatomist, and writer on medical subjects. He did important work on the anatomy of the liver
, and he wrote an early pediatric text on rickets
. An experiment he performed helped debunk the balloonist theory
of muscle contraction by showing that when a muscle contracted under water, the water level did not rise, and thus no air or fluid could be entering the muscle.
Glisson was born in Bristol
and was educated in Rampisham
, Dorset
, and at Caius College, Cambridge. Glisson is a well-known medical eponym
; he was for forty years Regius Professor of Physic
at Cambridge
. He died in London. The Glisson family can be traced to present-day Somerset.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, anatomist, and writer on medical subjects. He did important work on the anatomy of the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
, and he wrote an early pediatric text on rickets
Rickets
Rickets is a softening of bones in children due to deficiency or impaired metabolism of vitamin D, magnesium , phosphorus or calcium, potentially leading to fractures and deformity. Rickets is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries...
. An experiment he performed helped debunk the balloonist theory
Balloonist theory
Balloonist theory was a theory in early neuroscience that attempted to explain muscle movement by asserting that muscles contract by inflating with air or fluid. The Greek physician Galen believed that muscles contracted due to a fluid flowing into them, and for 1500 years afterward, it was...
of muscle contraction by showing that when a muscle contracted under water, the water level did not rise, and thus no air or fluid could be entering the muscle.
Glisson was born in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and was educated in Rampisham
Rampisham
Rampisham is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in a steep valley ten miles north west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 102...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, and at Caius College, Cambridge. Glisson is a well-known medical eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
; he was for forty years Regius Professor of Physic
Regius Professor of Physic (Cambridge)
The Regius Professorship of Physic is one of the oldest professorships at the University of Cambridge, founded by Henry VIII in 1540. "Physic" is an old word for medicine, , not physics.-Regius Professors of Physic:...
at Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He died in London. The Glisson family can be traced to present-day Somerset.