Professor made key discoveries about human reproduction
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| Gabriele Falloppio advanced knowledge of medicine significantly |
Gabriele Falloppio, one of the most important physicians and
anatomists of the 16th century, died on this day in 1562 in Padua.
Often known by his Latin name Fallopius, he lived only 39
years yet made his mark with a series of discoveries that expanded medical
knowledge significantly.
He worked mainly on the anatomy of the head and the reproductive
organs in both sexes and is best known for identifying the tubes that connect
the ovaries to the uterus, which are known even today as Fallopian tubes.
He also discovered several major nerves of the head and
face, and identified many of the components of the hearing and balance systems.
Falloppio described all of the findings of his research in a
book published a year before he died, entitled Observationes anatomicae.
Educated initially in the classics, the death of his father plunged
his family – noble but not wealthy – into financial difficulties, prompting him
to pursue the security of a career in the church, becoming a priest in 1542. He
served as a canon at the cathedral in his native Modena.
Falloppio retained an ambition to study medicine, however,
and when the family’s finances had improved sufficiently he enrolled at the
University of Ferrara, which at the time had one of the best medical schools in
Europe.
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| A painting shows Falloppio (left) explaining one of his discoveries to the Cardinal Duke of Ferrara and other clergy |
He studied under Antonio Musa Brassavolo, who at the time
was one of the most eminent physicians in Europe, with a list of illustrious
clients that included King Henry VIII of England, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the
French king Francis I and a succession of popes.
After receiving his doctorate in medicine, he worked at
various medical schools before becoming professor of anatomy at Ferrara in
1548. A year later, he was invited to
occupy the chair of anatomy at the University of Pisa.
Falloppio gained much of his knowledge from dissecting
cadavars, not only those of adult humans but children and animals. During his time at Pisa he was falsely
accused of human vivisection, but despite the cloud this cast over him he was
appointed to the prestigious chair of anatomy at the University of Padua, where
he would remain until his death from tuberculosis.
The Flemish anatomist Andreas Vesalius was among his
predecessors in the Padua chair. It was
the work of Vesalius that prompted a surge of interest in dissections and
probably inspired Falloppio, who studied the observations of his predecessor in
great detail and sought to build on them.
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| The title page of Falloppio's book of Anatomical Observations |
Despite his short working life, he left an enormous legacy
of research.
He carried out investigations on the larynx and on respiration,
and made important discoveries about bone growth. He described the ethmoid
bone, the lacrimal duct, and his description of the middle and inner ear
includes the first clear account of the round and oval windows, the cochlea,
the semi-circular canals, and the scala vestibuli and tympani.
In the area of reproduction, as well as being the first to identify the Fallopian tubes, he proved the existence of the hymen in virgins, gave names to many features of the reproductive anatomy and disproved many popular notions about the mechanics of the reproductive process.
He can also be credited with inventing one of the earliest
condoms, a sheath made from linen soaked in a medicinal chemical to be worn to
protect the wearer from contracting syphilis.
Falloppio published two treatises on ulcers and tumors, a
treatise on surgery, and a commentary on Hippocrates's book on wounds of the
head. He also researched the science of
baths and thermal waters and of purgatives, and put forward important theories
about the formation of fossils.
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| The anatomical theatre at the University of Padua |
Travel tip:
The University of Padua includes nine museums, a botanical
garden – best visited in the spring and summer – and the oldest surviving
permanent anatomical theatre in Europe, built in around 1595 and which used to
hold public dissections, which attracted scientists and artists in large
numbers, keen to enhance their knowledge of the human body.
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| Statues line the canal in the elliptical Prato della Valle |
The city of Padua, situated in the Veneto a 30-45 minute
train ride from Venice and an hour and a half from the international airport at
Treviso, is most famous for the Giotto frescoes at the Scrovegni Chapel and for
the Basilica of St Anthony of Padua. Both attract thousands of visitors and the
Scrovegni Chapel requires advance booking.
The city itself is an attractive place to explore, with a wealth of fine,
historic buildings to discover along its pleasant arcaded streets, as well as the
beautiful Prato della Valle, the 90,000-square metre elliptical square with an
island in its centre surrounded by a canal bordered by 78 statues.
