| Authorised form of name | Lower; Richard (1631 - 1691); physician and physiologist |
| Dates | 1631 - 1691 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Tremeer, near Bodmin, Cornwall, England, Europe |
| Date of birth | 1631 |
| Place of death | King Street, London, England, Europe |
| Date of death | 17 January 1691 |
| Dates and places | Baptism:
St Tudy's, Cornwall, England, Europe (29 January 1632)
Burial:
St Tudy's, Cornwall, England, Europe (3 February 1691) |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Research field | Medicine |
| Physiology |
| Activity | Education:
Westminster School; Christ Church, Oxford (BA 1653; MA 1655; MB; MD 1665)
Career:
Studied Chemistry with Peter Stahl in Oxford and assisted Thomas Willis (FRS 1663) in his anatomical researches on the nervous system (1655-1665); practised in London; performed experimental blood transfusions on dogs and, eventually, on a man
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 17/10/1667 |
| Proposer | Seth Ward |
| Date of ejection or withdrawal | 18 November 1675 |
| Other Royal Society activity | Published the results of blood transfusion experiments in the 'Philosophical Transactions' (1660s); Ejected for 'not performing their obligation to the Society' |
| Relationships | Parents: Humphrey Lower and Margery Billing
Married: Elizabeth Trelawny (née Billing) |
| Published works | RCN: 51195
RCN: 51196
RCN: 19630 |
| General context | Whilst at Oxford, Lower was part of a circle of fellow natural philosophers and physicians, such as Thomas Willis (FRS 1663), Robert Boyle (FRS 1663) and Christopher Wren (FRS 1660). From here, Lower became a highly respected physiologist and anatomist. His good reputation as a medical practitioner afforded him royal appointments as well, although he did not continue as royal physician under James II due to the latter's catholicism. One of Lower's most important works is his 'Tractatus de code' on his physiological research, in particuar into blood transfusion. |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Foster; Hunter; ODNB
References:
Da Costa Andrade, E N. 1965. 'The Birth and Early Days of the Philosophical Transactions', in Notes and Records, vol. 20, pp. 9-27
Hall, A R and Hall, M B. 1968. 'The Intellectual Origins of the Royal Society - London and Oxford', in Notes and Records, vol. 23, pp. 157-168
Symonds, Sir C. 1960. 'Thomas Willis, FRS (1621-1675)', in Notes and Records, vol. 15, pp. 91-97
Underwood, T L. 1976-7. 'Quakers and the Royal Society of London in the Seventeenth Century', in Notes and Records, vol. 31, pp. 133-150
Notes:
DNB says he left the Society in 1678 (cf Birch, vol 3, pp 224 and 231). |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/30474615 |
| Royal Society code | NA6102 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| RBC/2/85 | 'Tryals proposed by Robert Boyle to Dr Lower to be made by him, for the Improvement of the Experiment of Transfusing blood out of one live Animal into another' | 1666 |
| RBC/2/99 | 'An Account of making a Dog draw his breath exactly like a Wind-broken horse As it was Experimented before the Royal Society October 17 1667 by Richard Lower | 1667 |
| CLP/12i/15 | Paper, 'De ductu chylifero' by Dr [Richard] Lower | [1667] |
| RBO/3/64 | 'Experiment tending to prove that the 'Ductus Chyliferus' is the onely passage by which the Chyle is carried out of the Stomack and Intestines into the Bloud [blood] and Heart' brought in by Richard Lower | nd |
| RBC/2/81 | 'A Description of a method of Transfusing the blood of one Animal into another contriv'd and used by Dr Lower of Oxon as it was communicated in his letter to Mr Boyle' | 1666 |
| CLP/12i/6 | Paper, 'An account of the experiment of the transfusion of bloud out of one animal into another first performed by Dr Lower at Oxford' by [Edmond] King and Thomas Coxe | [1666] |
| CLP/15i/19 | Paper, regarding a blemish in the eye of a horse by Richard Lower | 1667 |
| CLP/12i/7 | Paper, ['The method observed in transfusing the bloud out of one live animal into another'] by [Richard Lower] | [1666] |
| CLP/12i/16 | Paper, 'Account of the experiment of transfusion, made by Dr Lower and Dr King, upon Arthur Coga' by Dr [Edmond] King | [1667] |
| CLP/12i/13 | Paper, 'An account of making a dog draw his breath exactly like a wind broken horse as it was experiments before the R [Royal] Society' by Dr Richard Lower | October 1667 |
| RBO/3/60 | 'An Accompt Of making a Dog draw his Breath exactly like a Wind-broken horse' by Richard Lower | 17 October 1667 |
| RBO/3/46 | 'Tryals proposed by Robert Boyle Esq to Dr Lower to be made by him for the Improvement of the Experiment of Transfusing Bloud out of one live Animal into another' | 1666 |
| RBO/3/42 | 'A Description Of the Method of transfusing the Bloud [blood] of one Animal into another, contriv'd and used by Dr Lower of Oxford' | 1666 |
| RBO/3/75 | 'An Observations concerning a Blemish in an Horses eye; not hitherto discovered by any Author which may be of great use in the Choice of a Horse, to those that are curious' by Richard Lower | 1667 |
| RBO/3/66 | 'An Account Of the Experiment of Transfusion made by Dr Lower and Dr King upon Arthur Coga Satturday 23 November 1667' | 1667 |