Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Professor Zoltán Molnár talks to Dr Erica Charters for a History of Medicine perspective on Oxford physician and Father of Neurology Thomas Willis.

17th century painting of a Civil War battle in Oxford depicting a map and fighting scenes, next to an animated headshot of Erica Charters.
Siege of Oxford (1646) painting by Jan de Wyck and Associate Professor Erica Charters

This year marks 400 years since the birth of Thomas Willis, pioneer in research into the anatomy of the brain, nervous system and muscles, as demonstrated through his discovery of the Circle of Willis, and widely credited as the Father of Neurology, even coining the word 'neurologia. He was considered the most famous physician of his time and a fine anatomist celebrated for his dissections of the brain and of the cranial and spinal nerves in 17th century Oxford. 

The middle of the 17th century was a period of huge intellectual ferment at Oxford and fundamentally shaped both religion and science. Thomas Willis’s medical training was interrupted by the Civil War, but he was then able to start his medical practice during the Protectorate and he was promoted to Professor after the Restoration. Probably one of the most famous stories about Willis occurs at the end of the Civil War: the case of Anne Greene, whom Willis, together with William Petty, resuscitated after she was executed by hanging and brought to them for dissection, which is credited for directly helping Willis's medical career to take off.

Erica Charters is an Associate Professor of Global History and the History of Medicine at Oxford who is an expert in the history of war, disease, and bodies, particularly in the British and French empires. Ahead of Willis's 400th birthday, DPAG's Professor Zoltán Molnár asked Erica to explain the historical background and help us imagine what people thought of medicine, science and religion at the time of Willis. Willis was a rather orthodox, even conservative, royalist and religious individual, and yet we now think of him as being a major innovator of neuroanatomy, clinical neurology and neuropathology, someone who rethinks all sorts of approaches and finds explanation within his religious framework.

In a new video interview, Erica gives us a fascinating summary about the influence of the Civil War shaped Willis’s life, group of colleagues, research and his clinical practice. It is very likely that without this historic turmoil Willis would have gone into divine orders and would have been someone much more associated just strictly with religious practice. But, because of the Civil War, he takes up the practice of medicine and surrounds himself with an exceptional group of colleagues and tries to both understand the soul and to understand how the function of the body works and how it relates to anatomy.

Erica Charters in conversation with Zoltán Molnár: A History of Medicine perspective on Thomas Willis from DPAG Digital Media on Vimeo.

See a trailer outlining all the 400th birthday interviews to be released in the weeks to come (with thanks to St John's College).

further information on thomas willis

Thomas Willis: 400th anniversary lecture by Zoltán Molnár at the NeurotechEU opening

Thomas Willis (1621-1675) 400th Anniversary Lecture, Anatomical Society Meeting 2021 - Zoltán Molnár

Molnár, Zoltán, "Thomas Willis (1621-1675), the Founder of Clinical Neuroscience", Nature Review Neuroscience 5:4 (2004), 329-35

Thomas Willis (1621 - 1675) Celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the Founder of Neurology online exhibition (see under current exhibitions, St John's College)

Thomas Willis 400th anniversary trailer

With thanks to St John's College

Thomas Willis (1621 - 1675), Online Exhibition, St John's College

Similar stories

Iain Pears in conversation with Zoltán Molnár: An insight into Willis era Oxford through writing "An Instance of the Fingerpost"

Professor Zoltán Molnár talks to author and historian Iain Pears to better understand "a time and place of great intellectual, religious, scientific and political ferment" in which Thomas Willis lived and worked.

Thomas Willis (1621 - 1675) 400th Birthday - Petra Hofmann in conversation with Zoltán Molnár: The Willis Legacy in St John's College Library

Professor Zoltán Molnár and St John's College Librarian Dr Petra Hofmann explore the extraordinary collection of Thomas Willis's books and rare letters held by the library 400 years after his birth.

Thomas Willis (1621 - 1675) 400th Birthday - Miloš Judaš in conversation with Zoltán Molnár: What we learn from translating the works of Willis

Professor Zoltán Molnár talks to Professor Miloš Judaš for a unique comparison of Thomas Willis's profound discoveries and medical terminology in his original Latin tongue and the first English translations.

Thomas Willis (1621 - 1675) 400th Birthday - Kevin Talbot in conversation with Zoltán Molnár: Exploring the medical cases of Thomas Willis

Professor Zoltán Molnár talks to Professor Kevin Talbot about Willis's insights into the patients he encountered and his descriptions of their symptoms that could arguably be used for teaching today.

Thomas Willis (1621 - 1675) 400th Birthday - Alastair Compston in conversation with Zoltán Molnár: An insight into the writings of Willis

Professor Zoltán Molnár talks to Professor Emeritus of Neurology Alastair Compston FRS about the deeply influential texts written by the Founder of Neurology Thomas Willis four centuries ago.