Christopher Wren’s Medical Discoveries: the ‘Architect of Human Anatomy’
Gresham College Lectures
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Gresham College Lectures
Christopher Wren’s Medical Discoveries: the ‘Architect of Human Anatomy’
May 30, 2023
Gresham College

** Please note that this lecture will contain several mentions of early animal testing which some audience members may find upsetting**

Christopher Wren was part of probably the first ‘research team’ assembled in Oxford in the 17th century, dedicated to better understanding the human body. With colleagues, Wren contributed to: the near-discovery of oxygen; the first human transfusion of blood; the first intravenous therapy and first intravenous anaesthetic; the description of the anatomy of the arteries supplying the brain (the ‘circle of Willis’); and remarkably, the first successful cardiac resuscitation.

The lecture will explain the continued relevance of these discoveries.


A lecture by Jaideep Pandit recorded on 17 May 2023 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/wren-medical

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