1682-1771

Italian Physician and Anatomist

Giovanni Battista Morgagni holds a highly respected place in the history of medicine as the anatomist who established the science of morbid anatomy. Morgagni's anatomical and pathological research helped to replace the ancient humoral doctrine with a new approach to viewing disease.

Born in Forli, Italy, Morgagni studied medicine and philosophy at the University of Bologna. He graduated in 1701 and assisted Antonio Maria Valsalva with the publication of Anatomy and Diseases of the Ear (1704). When Valsalva took a position in Parma, Morgagni became demonstrator of anatomy at Bologna. Morgagni became professor of medicine at the University of Padua in 1710. Five years later, he was promoted to the chair of anatomy.

From 1706 to 1719, Morgagni published his anatomical observations under the title Adversaria Anatomica. These studies were highly regarded and widely praised by anatomists and physicians. Morgagni's remarkable pioneering study of...