Sir William Bowman

Sir William Bowman (July 20, 1816 - March 29, 1892) was a British surgeon and anatomist. He was most famous for his research using microscopes to study various human organs. Later in life, he was also a successful ophthalmologist. Download high resolution version (447x641, 29 KB)Sir William Bowman, British ophthalmologist and anatomist. ... Download high resolution version (447x641, 29 KB)Sir William Bowman, British ophthalmologist and anatomist. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ... 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Surgery Surgery is the medical specialty that treats diseases or injuries by operative manual and instrumental treatment. ... Greek anatome, from ana-temnein, to cut up), is the branch of biology that deals with the structure and organization of living things; thus there is animal anatomy (zootomy) and plant anatomy (phytonomy). ... A microscope (Greek: micron = small and scopos = aim) is an instrument for viewing objects that are too small to be seen by the naked or unaided eye. ... Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine which deals with the diseases of the eye and their treatment. ...

Bowman left Birmingham in 1837 to further his training as a surgeon and attended King's College, London, where he served as a prosector under Robert Bentley Todd, a professor of physiology. At a young age of 25, he identified what then became known as the Bowman's capsule, a key component of the nephron. He presented his findings in 1842 in his paper "On the Structure and Use of the Malpighian Bodies of the Kidney" to the Royal Society and was awarded the Royal Medal. His collaboration with Todd led to the publication of the five-volume "Physiological Anatomy and Physiology of Man" (1843-1856) and "Cyclopaedia of Anatomy and Physiology" (1852), which detailed their research on microscopy and histology, relating minute anatomical observations to physiological functions. Their extensive use of the microscopes revolutionized the study of anatomy and physiology. Apart from the Bowman's capsule, other anatomical structures named after him include: The city from above Centenary Square. ... 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Kings College London (often abbreviated to KCL) in London is one of the largest colleges in the federal University of London, with 19,500 registered students. ... Physiology (in Greek physis = nature and logos = word) is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. ... Bowmans capsule is a blind sac at the beginning of the tubular component of a nephron in the mammalian kidney. ... Nephron of the kidney A nephron is the basic structural and functional unit of the kidney. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... There are at least two anatomical structures called a Malpighian corpuscle. ... Kidneys viewed from behind with spine removed The kidneys are bean-shaped excretory organs in vertebrates. ... The Royal Society of London is claimed to be the oldest learned society still in existence. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Histology is the study of tissue sectioned as a thin slice, using a microscope. ...

• Bowman's glands — in the olfactory mucosa
• Bowman's membrane — the anterior limiting membrane in the cornea

After completing his surgical training in 1844, Bowman practised as an ophthalmologist at the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital (later known as Moorfields Eye Hospital). Between 1848 and 1855, he also taught at King's College. In 1880, he founded the "Ophthalmological Society", which later became the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (http://www.rcophth.ac.uk/). The olfactory mucosa is an organ made up of the olfactory epithelium and the mucosa, or mucus secreting glands, behind the epithelium. ... The Bowmans membrane is a smooth layer in the eye. ... The cornea is the curved, transparent layer that covers the front part of the eye and protects its inner structures. ... Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine which deals with the diseases of the eye and their treatment. ... Moorfields Eye Hospital is a National Health Service eye hospital in central London. ...

In 1884, Queen Victoria knighted him as a baronet. He died at his house, Joldwynds, near Dorking, in Surrey in 1892. 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819–22 January 1901) was a Queen of the United Kingdom, reigning from 20 June 1837 until her death. ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) is the holder of a title, similar to a knighthood except that it is hereditary, known as a baronetcy. ... Dorking is a market town nestling under the North Downs approximately 25 miles south of London. ... Surrey is a county in southern England, one of the Home Counties. ... 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

External links

• Heath, Parker. Sir William Bowman (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=234136&pageindex=1). Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1936 May; 24(4): 205–208. Scanned pages of the original article, at PubMed Central.
• Thomas, K.B. The manuscripts of Sir William Bowman (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1033604&blobtype=pdf). Med Hist. 1966 July; 10(3): 245–256. PDF article at PubMed Central.