Malpighian

Malpighian
   Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694), an Italian physician, anatomist, and physiologist, was a great scientist who is not well-known outside the field of medicine. Born at Crevalore, near Bologna, the eldest of eight children, he was orphaned at twenty-one, and most of the family responsibilities fell on his shoulders.
   Malpighi later decided to study medicine. In 1653, he received his medical degree from the University of Bologna, and within three years was named a professor. But Malpighi decided to move on and soon accepted a professorship at the University of Pisa, where, together with G. A. Borelli, he discovered the spiral character of heart muscles. When Malpighi retired from academic life, he was called to Rome as the personal physician of Pope Innocent XII.
   Malpighi also studied the circulation of blood, and he was one of the first people to use a microscope to study animal and vegetable structures. He was the first to discover that capillaries form the connecting links between arteries and veins, the first to make an anatomical study of the brain, and the first to indicate the nature of the papillae on the tongue. He was responsible for knowledge pertaining to the mucous layer of skin, now called the Malpighian layer, and the Malpighian capsules of the kidney and the spleen. He also worked on the anatomy of the silkworm. The tubeshaped gland in insects and related animals that secrete urine into the alimentary canal is called the Malipighian tube.
   Although an excellent draftsman, Malpighi was a poor writer. But he did leave in writing some studies that have further commemorated him as an outstanding scientist. Stedman's Concise Medical Dictionary describes Malpighi as the founder of microscopic anatomy.

Dictionary of eponyms. . 2013.

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  • Malpighian — Mal*pi ghi*an, a. (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Marcello Malpighi, an Italian anatomist of the 17th century. [1913 Webster] {Malpighian capsules} or {Malpighian corpuscles} (Anatomy), the globular dilatations, containing the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Malpighian — Malphigian is an attribute to several anatomical structures: Malpighian corpuscle, which in turn may refer to: Renal corpuscles the initial filtering component of nephrons in the kidneys splenic lymphoid nodules, or White nodules follicles in the …   Wikipedia

  • malpighian — Described by or attributed to Marcello Malpighi. * * * Mal·pi·ghi·an mal pig ē ən, pē gē adj of, relating to, or discovered by Marcello Malpighi Malpighi mäl pē gē Marcello (1628 1694) Italian anatomist. Malpighi is widely regarded as the founder …   Medical dictionary

  • Malpighian capsules — Malpighian Mal*pi ghi*an, a. (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Marcello Malpighi, an Italian anatomist of the 17th century. [1913 Webster] {Malpighian capsules} or {Malpighian corpuscles} (Anatomy), the globular dilatations, containing …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • malpighian corpuscle — n. (Anatomy), See malpighian body. Syn: malpighian body, Malpighian capsule. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Malpighian corpuscles — Malpighian Mal*pi ghi*an, a. (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Marcello Malpighi, an Italian anatomist of the 17th century. [1913 Webster] {Malpighian capsules} or {Malpighian corpuscles} (Anatomy), the globular dilatations, containing …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Malpighian corpuscles of the spleen — Malpighian Mal*pi ghi*an, a. (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Marcello Malpighi, an Italian anatomist of the 17th century. [1913 Webster] {Malpighian capsules} or {Malpighian corpuscles} (Anatomy), the globular dilatations, containing …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • malpighian body — n. (Anatomy), The capsule that contains a glomerulus at the expanded end of a nephron; also called {malpighian corpuscle} and {Malpighian capsule}. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Malpighian capsule — malpighian body malpighian body n. (Anatomy), The capsule that contains a glomerulus at the expanded end of a nephron; also called {malpighian corpuscle} and {Malpighian capsule}. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • malpighian corpuscle — malpighian body malpighian body n. (Anatomy), The capsule that contains a glomerulus at the expanded end of a nephron; also called {malpighian corpuscle} and {Malpighian capsule}. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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