The First Two Laboratory Scientists

Home , Henry Oldenburg, Marcello Malpighi, Micrographia

438 Annals of Clinical & Laboratory Science, vol. 32, no. 4, 2002

A Note from History: The First Two Laboratory Scientists

Steven I. Hajdu

Keywords: history of science, first medical scientists, Marcello Malpighi, Antonj van Leeuwenhoek

Fig. 1. Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694) Fig. 2. Antony van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723)

Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694) and Antonj van a professor at age 28. Owing to health reasons and Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) had only two things his interest in fishes and other creatures in the sea, common. They were both fascinated by the potential he moved south to Messina, Sicily. Malpighi made of the microscope and they both published their his landmark microscopic observations [1,2] during observations in the form of letters to friends. his tenure in Messina (see Table 1). After four years Malpighi used the official language of science, Latin, in Messina, he was invited to return to Bologna, while van Leeuwenhoek used his native tongue, where he served as professor of anatomy for 25 years. Dutch. These were his most productive years [3-6]. Malpighi (Fig. 1) was introduced to microscopy Malpighi had a hot temper that earned him by Alfonso Borrelli (1608-1679) who first suggested many enemies. On one occasion, his opponents went that the circulation resembled a hydraulic system. so far as to attack him physically and burn down his Malpighi was an outstanding medical student and house [7]. Nonetheless, Malpighi was surrounded immediately after graduation he was invited to join by a large body of students, drawn from around the the faculty of the University of Bologna. He became world, who were devoted to him. His most eminent disciple was Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666-1723), who subsequently became mentor of Giovanni Address correspondence to Steven I. Hajdu, M.D., 4 Forest Battista Morgagni (1682-1771). Court, Oyster Bay Cove, Syosset, NY 11791-1119, USA; tel 516 922 5967; fax 516 922 1588.

Table 1. Chronological list of scientific discoveries and other pertinent information.

Marcello Malpighi Antonj van Leeuwenhoek

Year of birth 1628 1632 Country Italy Holland Language Italian and Latin Dutch Formal education University of Bologna None Family status Upper middle class family Blue-collar family Married, no children Married, five children 1637 His father dies 1644 Apprentice to a draper 1648 His stepfather dies 1649 His father and mother die 1650 Linen draper 1653 Receives his MD degree 1654 On the faculty in Bologna Janitor of the city hall 1659 Professor at the University of Pisa 1661 Vesicular nature of lung tissue, City surveyor and wine gauger capillary anastomosis of pulmonary arteries and veins, termination of trachea in the bronchi 1662 Professor of anatomy in Messina 1665 Description of the red blood cells and rete mucosum 1666 Professor of anatomy in Bologna, His wife dies histology of the liver with lobules and acini, corpuscles of the spleen, lymphadenopathy and enlarged spleen, layers of the skin, pyramids and tubules of the kidney, fibrin in the heart and aortic sclerosis 1669 Invertebrates (silk worms) have internal organs 1673 Aortic arch, neural grooves, and cerebral and cystic vesicles in chick embryo 1674 Spermatozoa, striated nature of muscle, red blood cells illustrated 1675 Structure of crystalline lens, sarcolemma of muscle, sees protozoa under the microscope and describes the possibility of contagion by microorganisms

1676 Elected to Royal Society of London Description of cells from a wart on elephant trunk 1684 Bacterial chains and clumps, spirilla and bacilli described 1685 Elected to Royal Society of London 1686 Haversian canals of bone described 1691 Moves to Rome as papal physician 1694 Dies of cerebral hemorrhage (age 66) 1701 Leontiasis ossea, leprosy (posthumous publication) 1716 Receives honorary degree from the University of Louvain, Belgium 1718 Suffering from hiatal hernia and asthma 1723 Dies of pulmonary failure (age 91) 440 Annals of Clinical & Laboratory Science

Although Malpighi’s name is remembered no students. He was a small town tradesman who primarily for his descriptions of the Malpighian continued his amateur activity, microscopy, and bodies of the kidney, Malpighian corpuscles of the achieved immortal fame as a man of science [12]. spleen, and the Malpighian layer of the epidermis, He died at age 91 and was buried in the churchyard he was also a busy clinician and pathologist. Upon in Delft. the invitation of Pope Innocent XII, he eventually If one needed to name the third-ranking moved to Rome and became the Pope’s physician. laboratory scientist, the fame might go to an English Malpighi died in Rome at age 66. His body was biologist, Robert Hooke (1635-1703). At age 30, buried in the church of San Gregorio in Bologna. Hooke invented the compound microscope and he Antonj van Leeuwenhoek (Fig. 2) was born in first noticed the minute microscopic structures of Delft, Holland. He had no formal education beyond plants that he called “cells” [13]. Shortly after, at grade school and he resided and worked in Delft age 32, he demonstrated by attaching a bellows to throughout his life, except for a couple of years when the trachea of a dog, after cutting open the chest, he was apprenticed to a draper in Amsterdam. Upon that artificial respiration could keep the animal alive. returning from Amsterdam, van Leeuwenhoek was hired as a janitor of the Delft city hall; later, he References became the city surveyor and wine-gauger. Four of his five children died in infancy and his surviving 1. Malpghi, M. De pulmonibus observationes anat- daughter, who never married, became his “laboratory omicae. B. Ferronius, Bononiae, 1661. assistant,” and stayed with him all his life. 2. Malpighi M. De viscerum structura exercitatio anat- It is unknown how and when van Leeuwenhoek omica. J Montij, Bononiae, 1666. 3. Malpighi, M. Dissertatio epistolica de bombyce. J. was introduced to lens making and the microscope. Martyn & J. Allestry, Londini, 1669. Apparently he supported himself and his family by 4. Malpighi, M. De ovo incubato observationes, J. manual jobs around the town. Evidently his interest Martyn, Londini, 1673. in microscopy began as a hobby (see Table 1). 5. Malpighi M. Opera omnia. R Schott, Londini, 1686. Around the time that Malpighi moved from 6. Malpighi M. Opera posthuma. G. Gallet, Amstelo- Messina to Bologna, Leeuwenhoek was introduced dami, 1700. by a local physician, Regner de Graaf (1641-1673), 7. Gelmetti, P. Ricordi di Marcello Malpighi. Stronna to Henry Oldenburg (1615-1677), Secretary of the storica bolognese. 1979;29:179-192. Royal Society of London, . Oldenburg was Editor 8. Leeuwenhoek A van. Microscopical observations of the Transactions of the Royal Society and he had concerning blood, milk, bone, the brain, spittle, and cuticula, etc. Phil Trans 1674;9:121-128. already published some observations of Malpighi, 9. Leeuwenhoek A van. Some microscopical obser- who was also fortuitously discovered by Oldenburg. vations about animals in the scurf of the teeth. Phil Eventually, most of van Leeuwenhoek’s 165 scientific Trans 1684;14:568-574. letters were published in the Transactions of the 10. Leeuwenhoek A van. Arcana natura detecta, Batav, Royal Society [8-11]. Delphis, 1695. Van Leeuwenhoek had an unassuming but 11. Leeuwenhoek A van. Ontledingen en ontdekkingen. strong personality. After a visiting medical student Leiden, Delft, 1693 to 1718. stole his drawings of spermatozoa and exhibited 12. Dobell, C. Antony van Leeuwenhoek and his “little them in Paris as his own discovery, van Leeuwenhoek animals.” Harcourt and Brace, New York, 1932. stopped seeing visitors unless they came with a letter 13. Hooke, R. Micrographia or some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying of recommendation from the Royal Society [12]. glasses, with observations and inquiries thereupon. It is uncertain whether van Leeuwenhoek ever Martyn and Allesty, London, 1665. heard of Malpighi, but it appears (see Table 1) that 14. Hooke, R. An account of an experiment made by Malpighi became acquainted with some of van M. Hook, of preserving animals alive by blowing Leeuwenhoek’s discoveries by reading the Trans- through their lungs with bellows. Philos Trans 1667; actions of the Royal Society. Van Leeuwenhoek had 2:539-540.