Home > William Withering

Trained as a doctor at Edinburgh University, he worked at Birmingham General Hospital from 1779. The story is that one of his patients with dropsy ( congestive heart failure) improved remarkably after taking a traditional herbal remedy; William became famous for recognising that the active ingredient in the mixture was contained in the leaves of foxglove. The active ingredient is now known as digitalis, after the plant's scientific name. In 1785, Withering published An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses, which contained reports on clinical trials and notes on digitalis toxicity.

He lived in Edgbaston Hall (now home to a golfThis article is about the sport of golf. For other meanings, see Golf (disambiguation). Golf is an outdoor game where individual players or teams play a small ball into a hole using various clubs. It is defined in the Rules of Golf as playing a ball with club and nature reserveA nature reserve is an area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. Nature reserves may be des), in BirminghamThis article is about Birmingham in England. See also Birmingham, Alabama or other places called Birmingham. Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Being the country's second largest city, it is usually considered B, EnglandEngland is the largest, the most populous, and the most densely populated of the four " Home Nations" which make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Occupying the south-eastern portion of the island of Great Britain, England, and was one of the members of the Lunar SocietyThe Lunar Society was a discussion club, of a number of prominent industrialists and scientists, who met regularly in the latter half of the 18th century in Birmingham, England. They met from 1765 to 1813. At first called the Lunar Circle, 'Lunar Society'.

He published an early and influential British Flora, of which there were many editions, some posthumous, and carried out pioneering work into the identification of fungiChytridiomycota Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota The Fungi (singular: fungus are a large group of organisms ranked as a kingdom within the Domain Eukaryota. Included are the conspicuous mushrooms, but also many microscopic forms such as molds and yeast.

He is buried in Edgbaston old church, next to the hall. His memorial stone, now moved inside the church, has foxgloves carved upon it to commemorate his discovery. He is remembered by the MoonstonesThe Moonstones are a set of eight carved memorials to various members of the Lunar Society. Made in 1998, they can be viewed in the grounds of the Asda supermarket in Great Barr, Birmingham, England. They are visible from the road, when driving up Queslet, also in Birmingham.