Giovanni Battista Morgagni was born at Forli, Italy, on February 20, 1682; he died at Padua on December 6, 1771. He was educated at the University of Bologna, receiving a degree in philosophy and medicine there in 1701. He studied under A. M. Valsalva (1666-1723), whom he venerated for the rest of his life; when Valsalva left Bologna for Parma, Morgagni succeeded him as demonstrator in anatomy. He was made President of the Accademia at the age of 24, and he gained a reputation for his dislike of speculation as opposed to accurate observation. In 1706 he began publication of a series of anatomical works, which led to his becoming known in Europe as an anatomist. In 1712, he left Bologna for Padua, where, except for a short unsuccessful attempt at practicing medicine in Forli, he was to spend the rest of his life as Professor of Anatomy. Shortly after settling in Padua, he married Paola...