Marcello Malpighi

   Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694) was an Italian physiologist who founded microscopic anatomy. By using his microscope, he was the first medical researcher to trace the complete circuit of blood in the human body. Vitally interested in the study of insects, Malpighi made, at the request of The Royal Society of London, a superb special study of the anatomy of the silkworm. While he was studying insects microscopically, he discovered in insects and other ani­mals what is now known as the Malpighian tube which removes wastes from the body cavity and passes them into the alimentary canal.
   Born near Bologna, Italy, Malpighi studied medicine at the University of Bologna. Three years after he graduated, he became a lecturer and several months later was appointed professor of theoretical medi­cine at the University of Pisa. He remained there four years before returning to the University of Bologna. Then he accepted a post at Messina for four years, after which he returned once again to Bologna. This time he remained for twenty-five years. When he was sixty-three, Malpighi moved to Rome to become the personal physician to Pope Innocent XII. He died at the Vatican on November 30, 1694.