William Cowper

William Cowper

William Cowper (1666 - 1709) English anatomist and surgeon, famous for the eponymous Cowper's glands, the bulbourethral glands of the male genitourinary system, which he was the first to describe. In 1698, he published The Anatomy of Humane Bodies, which was to bring him both fame and notoriety. This work is widely considered to be a plagiarised version of the Dutch anatomist Govard Bidloo's work that was published a few years ago. Though it contained much original work and writing from Cowper himself, essentially much of the text and diagrams were taken directly from Bidloo's work, which Cowper (or his publishers) had purchased in bulk, when Bidloo's book did not have good sales back in his country. This incident was to lead to numerous vitriolic exchanges between both the anatomists, but even with the fact that Cowper burrowed the work and did not give any credit to Bidloo, William Cowper still stands today as one of the most original and diligent anatomists of his time.