1511-1553

Spanish Physician and Theologian

Michael Servetus, or Miguel Serveto, was a person of many interests who is credited with the discovery of pulmonary circulation, the process of blood going to the lungs to pick up oxygen. Servetus's life was one of controversy—from the question of his place of birth, to the end of his life when he was burned at the stake for heresy.

The traditional site of his birth is Tudela, Navarre, in southern Spain, although some of his writings indicate he was born in Villaneuva, Spain, in 1511. Some of his statements lead others to think he was born in 1509. The son of a notary, he was sent to Toulouse, France, to study law but became interested in theology. His friend and mentor was a Franciscan monk Juan de Quintana, who took Servetus to the coronation of Emperor Charles V at Bologna. Disgusted...