Sir William Bowman is known as England's "father of histological anatomy and ophthalmic surgery." His work in histology (the study of tissue visible only with the aid of a microscope) produced the most detailed observation and documentation of the structure and function of human and animal tissue. He carried this investigation into ophthalmology--the study of the eye--increasingly devoting his time to eye surgery and eventually founding and becoming the first president of the Ophthalmological Society in 1880. It is said that few people have contributed so greatly to medicine in general as did Bowman. For his contribution, Bowman was knighted (named Sir William Bowman) by Queen Victoria in 1884.

Bowman was born in Nantwich, England, the third son and fourth child of John Eddowes Bowman and Elizabeth Eddowes, who were first cousins. His father was a banker who loved nature and was a founding member of the Manchester Geological Society...