James Keill facts for kids

James Keill (born March 27, 1673 – died July 16, 1719) was a smart Scottish doctor and thinker. He was one of the first people to use math to understand how the human body works. This was a new and exciting way to study medicine back then!

A Doctor's Life

James Keill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 27, 1673. His father, Robert Keill, was a lawyer. James had an older brother, John Keill, who was a famous mathematician.

James studied at home and at the University of Edinburgh. He also traveled to Europe to learn more. He studied in Paris and at Leyden University. He focused a lot on anatomy, which is the study of the body's structure.

Later, James moved to England. He became well-known for teaching anatomy at Oxford and Cambridge universities. Cambridge even gave him a special degree, making him a Doctor of Medicine (MD).

In 1703, he settled in Northampton and worked as a doctor for the rest of his life. In 1712, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very important group for scientists.

James Keill passed away on July 16, 1719, from a type of cancer. He was buried in a church in Northampton. His brother John put up a monument there to remember him.

His Medical Discoveries

James Keill was a big supporter of a new way of thinking in medicine. This was called the 'iatro-mathematical' school. It meant using math and physics to understand how the body works. Many of his ideas came from his mathematician brother.

He used math and experiments to study different parts of the body. For example, he looked at:

• How the body makes and releases fluids (called secretion).
• How much blood is in the human body.
• How muscles move.
• The strength of the heart.

He even corrected some older ideas about the heart's strength. His own findings were important, even if they weren't perfect. Other scientists, like James Jurin, discussed his work.

Keill also did something very interesting: he studied his own body! He made careful notes about his weight and what he ate. This was similar to what another scientist, Santorio Sanctorius, had done. Keill published these notes in a work called ‘Medicina statica Britannica.’

Major Publications

James Keill's most important book was first called ‘An Account of Animal Secretion, the Quantity of Blood in the Humane Body, and Muscular Motion.’ It came out in London in 1708.

Later, he updated and expanded it. The new version was called ‘Essays on several Parts of the Animal Œconomy’ (1717). This book became very popular. It was even translated into Latin.

He also wrote ‘The Anatomy of the Human Body, abridged’ in 1698. This book was used for many years and went through many editions.