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William Withering
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William Withering Article

William Withering summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see William Withering.

William Withering, (born March 17, 1741, Wellington, Shropshire, Eng.—died Oct. 6, 1799, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, Warwickshire), English physician and botanical author. Withering is best known for his treatise An Account of the Foxglove, and Some of Its Medical Uses (1785), which provided a detailed description of the use of foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) to treat dropsy (edema), a condition characterized by the accumulation of fluid in soft tissues. This discovery proved crucial to modern understanding and treatment of heart failure, and drugs containing the active compound of foxglove, digitalis, continue to be prescribed today.

Theophrastus
botany Summary
Botany, branch of biology that deals with the study of plants, including their structure, properties, and biochemical processes. Also included are plant classification and the study of plant diseases and of interactions with the environment. The principles and findings of botany have provided the
laparoscopy
medicine Summary
Medicine, the practice concerned with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease. The World Health Organization at its 1978 international conference held in the Soviet Union produced the Alma-Ata Health Declaration, which was designed to serve governments as a