Marcello Malpighi

Marcello Malpighi (10 March 1628 – 29 November 1694) was an Italian biologist and physician, who is referred to as the "Father of microscopical anatomy, histology, physiology and embryology". Malpighi's work on plants and animals was significant in the development of biology and anatomy.

Early life and education

Marcello Malpighi was born on 10 March 1628 in Crevalcore near Bologna, Italy. He was the son of well-to-do parents, Marcantonio Malpighi and Maria Cremonini. He studied at the University of Bologna, where he graduated in 1653 with a doctorate in medicine and philosophy. He then started teaching at the same university.

Career

In 1656, Malpighi was appointed as a reader in logic at the University of Pisa. He then returned to Bologna and dedicated himself to anatomy and started his investigations on the microscopic structure of animals and plants. He made significant contributions to the field of microscopy, and his studies paved the way for the modern understanding of cell biology.

Contributions to science

Malpighi made several important discoveries in the fields of plant and animal biology. He was the first to see capillaries in animals, and he discovered the link between the venous and arterial systems. He also studied the anatomy of the brain and described the papillary ridges on the skin of fingers, a pattern now referred to as fingerprints. In the field of botany, he studied plant respiration and photosynthesis.

Death and legacy

Marcello Malpighi died on 29 November 1694. His work has had a lasting impact on the fields of biology and medicine. The Malpighian tubule system in insects and the Malpighian corpuscles in the kidney were named after him.

See also

• History of biology
• History of medicine
• Microscopy

External links

• Marcello Malpighi at the Encyclopædia Britannica

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  Portrait of Marcello Malpighi by Carlo Cignani

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  Line engraving of Marcello Malpighi by J. Kip, 1697

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  Oil painting of Marcello Malpighi

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  Marcello Malpighi's tomb in Bologna

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  Frontispiece of Marcello Malpighi's Opera Omnia, Londinii 1696