Four caplet wreaths placed for 2023 and the Statue of William Harvey, Langhorne Gardens Photos: Ray Duff
Words and pictures by Ray Duff – The life and work of Dr William Harvey, the pioneer of modern medicine, was celebrated in Folkestone on Sunday afternoon, 5 June.
Civic and medical dignitaries joined local people for a lunch at the Burlington Hotel, followed by a procession along the Leas to the Harvey Statue near the Leas Cliff Hall. The Town Mayor, Cllr Belinda Walker, led the procession with Town Sergeant Ian Bishop and members of the Harveian Institute from London.
At the statue, the Mayor’s Chaplain, Rev Dr John Walker, conducted a short service of thanksgiving. Then, wreaths were laid by the Mayor, Dr David Treacher (President of the Harveian Society 2023/24), Captain Mike Flynn (from the Medical Society of London), and Eamonn Rooney (a local historian representing the Folkestone Local Historians).
Dr Treacher gave a speech about how Harvey’s discoveries on blood circulation, published in De Motu Cordis in 1628, were influenced by his studies at Padua University in Italy and how they transformed medicine and saved countless lives over the centuries.
The event ended with the group returning to the Burlington.