George Harley (physician) facts for kids
George Harley (born February 12, 1829 – died October 27, 1896) was an important Scottish doctor. He made many discoveries in medicine and helped improve how we understand the human body.
Contents
Early Life and Education
George Harley was born in Haddington, Scotland, on February 12, 1829. He was the only son of George Barclay Harley and Margaret Macbeath. His father passed away when George was very young, so his mother and grandmother raised him.
He went to school in Haddington and then in Edinburgh. When he was 17, he started studying at the University of Edinburgh. He worked very hard and became a doctor in August 1850.
After finishing his studies, Harley worked for about a year as a surgeon and doctor at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. This gave him valuable experience in a hospital setting.
Studying in Europe
Harley then spent two years in Paris, France. He worked in special labs, studying how the body works (physiology) and chemistry. He learned from famous scientists like Claude Bernard. Bernard's work on how the liver affects diabetes inspired Harley to do his own research. While in Paris, Harley was even chosen to be the president of the Parisian Medical Society in 1853.
Next, Harley traveled to Germany for two more years. He studied at different universities, learning from other great minds like Rudolf Virchow and Justus Liebig. During his time in Vienna, he tried to join the army as a doctor during the Crimean War, but he had some trouble with his passport.
Career and Discoveries
In 1855, Harley returned to London, England. He became a teacher at University College London, where he taught about how the body works and its tiny structures (histology). He also started his own private medical practice.
He became a member of important groups like the Chemical Society and the College of Physicians of Edinburgh. In 1859, he became a professor at University College, teaching about medical law. He also became a doctor at the hospital there. Later, he had to stop these jobs because of problems with his eyesight.
In 1865, when he was only 36, Harley was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists. He also helped start the British Institute of Preventive Medicine, which focused on preventing diseases.
Harley made many important discoveries:
- He found iron in urine and realized that the color of normal human urine comes from a substance called urobilin.
- He studied how we breathe and the chemistry involved.
- He showed that a substance called pancreatin (from the pancreas) can digest both starchy foods and proteins.
- He won a special prize in 1862 for his research on the suprarenal bodies (now called adrenal glands).
Harley also worked on important committees. He helped study how people could be brought back to life after drowning or other accidents. He also worked on a committee that studied chloroform, a substance used to put people to sleep for operations.
In the field of poisons, Harley studied how strychnine and Calabar bean affect the body. He even showed that some poisons could cancel out the effects of others.
Books and Later Life
Harley wrote many important books about diseases of the liver. His book Diseases of the Liver (1883) was very popular and was translated into German. He also wrote about how to find gallstones and how to treat liver inflammation.
When his eyesight was bad, he dictated another book called The Urine and its Derangements (1872). This book was also very successful and was translated into French and Italian.
Harley also invented a special microscope that could be easily changed to look at things in different ways. He even tried to make English spelling simpler by suggesting we remove extra letters from words!
George Harley passed away suddenly on October 27, 1896, from heart problems. He was cremated, and his remains were buried in Kingsbury Old Church.
Family Life
George Harley was married to Emma Jessie Muspratt. They had three children:
- Vaughan Harley, who also became a doctor.
- Ethel Brilliana Tweedie, who became a famous writer.
- Olga Harley.
