Marcello Malpighi was a well-known Italian biologist who ushered in a new era in anatomy and histology. Marcello was a studious child who entered college at the age of seventeen. He improved his anatomical knowledge while studying medicine with mentors such as Bartolomeo Massari and Andrea Mariani. Despite the early demise of his parents, this devoted student completed his education and earned two doctorates. He began his academic career by instructing logic, but he was quickly granted a job at Pisa to instruct theoretical medicine. He conducted blood anatomical research, which laid the groundwork for one of his most significant discoveries. Marcello’s proficiency in utilizing the microscope to decipher the structure of organisms and their components was unrivaled. Using a microscope to analyze the structure of objects, he produced numerous discoveries. His peers were envious of his growing fame and achievement in scientific endeavors for the duration of his life. Despite this, the church in Rome consecrated him as the papal physician, and he lived his final years in the capital. Continue reading to learn more about the life and work of this distinguished scientist.
Youth and Early Life
Marcello Malpighi was born on March 10, 1628, in the Papal State of Bologna, Italy to parents Marcantonio Malpighi and Maria Cremonini.
In 1646, at the age of seventeen, he completed his early education at grammar school and followed advanced studies at the “University of Bologna.”
One of his university professors, Francesco Natali, recognized Malpighi’s interest in medicine and pushed him to pursue his ambitions. Marcello began his doctoral studies in medicine under the direction of Bartolomeo Massari and Andrea Mariani in 1649.
At the age of twenty-one, he lost both of his parents, yet this did not impede his pursuit of an education. In 1653, he received doctorates in philosophy and medicine from the institution.
Marcello Malpighi’s Career
Malpighi began his academic career in 1656 at the university, where he taught logic to students. He soon relocated to Pisa, where he was named chair of theoretical medicine.
At the ‘University of Pisa,’ he made friends with the mathematician Giovanni Borelli, who introduced him to the ‘Accademia del Cimento,’ a forerunner of the scientific community.
During his time at Pisa, he studied blood in an effort to solve medical mysteries about the anatomy and physiology of living things. However, his tenure at the university was cut short due to bad health exacerbated by the city’s climate.
In 1659, upon returning to his alma mater, the “University of Bologna,” he was appointed lecturer in theoretical medicine. Here, he continued his study on microscopes and conducted anatomical examinations.
In 1661, he made a groundbreaking discovery when he successfully described the capillary structure that united arteries and capillaries. In addition, he investigated the structure of the lungs of frogs and tortoises and defined the function of alveoli or air sacs, which permitted gas exchange during breathing.
Marcello’s non-Bolognese origin made his discoveries unpopular among his peers, who disliked him. Malpighi was invited to the “University of Messina” in 1662, where he served as a professor, based on a favorable reference from the mathematician and friend Giovanni Borelli.
In addition to his scholarly endeavors and successful academic and medical careers, this inquisitive intellect decoded the architecture of taste buds, optic nerves, and fat reservoirs.
In 1666, this erudite biologist made a crucial discovery by isolating red blood cells for the first time and demonstrating that the RBCs are responsible for the color of blood. In 1667, Malpighi returned to ‘The University of Bologna’ after his discoveries infuriated his peers in Messina.
At Bologna, he wrote “De visceral structure excitation anatomical,” which comprised his observations concerning the anatomy of organs including the brain, kidney, spleen, bones, and liver.
In addition, he utilized his expertise in microscopy to examine the skin layers underlying the epidermis. This pioneering scientist’s name is given to many strata he helped identify.
Several famous scientific communities, such as the ‘Royal Society of London,’ took notice of Marcello’s groundbreaking work. Since 1668, his results have been published in the Royal Society’s Philosophical Transactions publication.
In 1669, he was the first Italian to be invited to join the Royal Society as a “Foreign Member.” Also in the same year, he examined the many phases of the silkworm and other insect larvae’s life cycle.
Continuing his research on the reproduction of living organisms, he examined in depth the embryonic development of a chick. In 1673, he discovered the somites, aortic arches, and neural folds of the bird.
Between 1675 and 1679, he utilized microscopic techniques to examine the cellular organization of diverse plant and animal specimens. He drew a parallel between the distribution and placement of plant and animal cells.
In the last years of his life, Marcello faced a growing amount of resistance. The magnitude of the criticism was such that his house was set on fire and his books and research apparatus were destroyed.
This distinguished scientist was appointed a papal physician by Pope Innocent XII in 1691, and he served as a royal physician until his death.
Marcello’s Major Opera
Due to his extensive contributions to science, Marcello was recognized as the father of modern anatomy. The publication of ‘De polypro cordis’ in 1666, which featured his investigations of the mechanism by which blood clots and the discovery of RBCs, was a breakthrough in the science of anatomy.
Personal History and Legacy
Malpighi spent his final days as Pope Innocent XII’s personal physician. 66 years old and suffering from apoplexy, he passed away on November 30, 1694.
Various anatomical components in the human excretory system, including the ‘Malpighian Corpuscles’ found in the nephron and insect Malpighian tubules, are named for this pioneering scientist.
Estimated Net Worth
Marcello Malpighi has an estimated net worth of $9 million dollars and earns mostly as an entomologist, botanist, professor, anatomist, and zoologist. We lack sufficient evidence regarding Marcello Malpighi’s automobiles and way of life.