Louis pasteur experiment

Francesco Redi

Italian naturalist and poet

Francesco Redi (18 February – 1 March ) was an Italianphysician, naturalist, biologist, and poet.[1] He is referred to as the "founder of experimental biology",[2][3] and as the "father of modern parasitology".[4][5] He was the first person to challenge the theory of spontaneous generation by demonstrating that maggots come from eggs of flies.[6][7]

Having a doctoral degree in both medicine and philosophy from the University of Pisa at the age of 21, he worked in various cities of Italy.

A rationalist of his time, he was a critic of verifiable myths, such as spontaneous generation.[8] His most famous experiments are described in his magnum opusEsperienze intorno alla generazione degl'insetti (Experiments on the Generation of Insects), published in He disproved that vipers drink wine and could break glasses and that their venom was poisonous when ingested.

He correctly observed that snake venoms were produced from the fangs, not the gallbladder, as was believed. He was also the first to recognize and correctly describe details of about parasites, including Fasciola hepatica and Ascaris lumbricoides. He also distinguished earthworms from helminths (like tapeworms, flukes, and roundworms).

He possibly originated the use of the control, the basis of experimental design in modern biology. A collection of his poems first published in Bacco in Toscana (Bacchus in Tuscany) is considered among the finest works of 17th-century Italian poetry, and for which the Grand Duke Cosimo III gave him a medal of honour.

Biography

The son of Gregorio Redi and Cecilia de Ghinci, Francesco Redi was born in Arezzo on 18 February His father was a renowned physician at Florence.

After schooling with the Jesuits, Francesco Redi attended the University of Pisa from where he obtained his doctoral degrees in medicine and philosophy in , at the age of [4] He constantly moved, to Rome, Naples, Bologna, Padua, and Venice, and finally settled in Florence in Here he was registered at the Collegio Medico where he served at the Medici Court as both the head physician and superintendent of the ducal apothecary to Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his successor, Cosimo III.

It is here that most of his academic works were achieved, which earned him membership in Accademia dei Lincei. He was also a member of the Accademia del Cimento (Academy of Experiment) from to [9]

He died in his sleep on 1 March in Pisa and his remains were returned to Arezzo for interment.[10][11]

A collection of his letters is held at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland.[12]

Scientific career

Experimental toxicology

In Redi wrote his first monumental work Osservazioni intorno alle vipere (Observations on Vipers) to his friend Lorenzo Magalotti, secretary of the Accademia del Cimento.

Experimenter, Parasitologist, Poet: Arezzo , Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Learn more Got it. S2CID Further reading [ edit ].

In this he began to break the prevailing scientific myths (which he called "unmasking of the untruths") such as vipers drink wine and shatter glasses, their venom is poisonous if swallowed, the head of the dead viper is an antidote, the viper's venom is produced from the gallbladder, and so on. He explained rather how snake venom is unrelated to the snake’s bite, an idea contrary to popular belief.[13] He performed a series of experiments on the effects of snakebites and demonstrated that venom was poisonous only when it enters the bloodstream via a bite, and that the fang contains venom in the form of yellow fluid.[9][14] He even showed that by applying a tight ligature before the wound, the passage of venom into the heart could be prevented.

This work marked the beginning of experimental toxinology/toxicology.[15][16]

Entomology and spontaneous generation

Main article: Spontaneous generation

Redi is best known for his series of experiments, published in as Esperienze intorno alla generazione degl'insetti (Experiments on the Generation of Insects), which is regarded as his masterpiece and a milestone in the history of modern science.

The book is one of the first steps in refuting "spontaneous generation"—a theory also known as Aristotelian abiogenesis. At the time, the prevailing wisdom was that maggots arose spontaneously from rotting meat.[6]

Redi took six jars and divided them into two groups of three: In one experiment, in the first jar of each group, he put an unknown object; in the second, a dead fish; in the last, a raw chunk of veal.

Redi covered the tops of the first group of jars with fine gauze so that only air could get into them. He left the other group open. After several days, he saw maggots appear on the objects in the open jars, on which flies had been able to land, but not in the gauze-covered jars.

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    • In the second experiment, meat was kept in three jars. One of the jars was uncovered, and two of the jars were covered, one with cork and the other one with gauze. Flies could only enter the uncovered jar, and in this, maggots appeared. In the jar that was covered with gauze, maggots appeared on the gauze but did not survive.[17][18]

    Redi continued his experiments by capturing the maggots and waiting for them to metamorphose, which they did, becoming flies.

    Also, when dead flies or maggots were put in sealed jars with dead animals or veal, no maggots appeared, but when the same thing was done with living flies, maggots did. His interpretations were always based on biblical passages, such as his famous adage: omne vivum ex vivo ("All life comes from life").[4][19]

    Parasitology

    Redi was the first to describe ectoparasites in his Esperienze intorno alla generazione degl'insetti.

    His notable illustrations in the book are those relevant to ticks, including deer ticks and tiger ticks; it also contains the first depiction of the larva of Cephenemyiinae, the nasal flies of deer, as well as the sheep liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica).

    Francesco redi maggot experiment images Certes the shaft of wonder should not pierce thee. But, if the senses do not do their duty, if they do not obtain correct information of what is happening in Nature and thus do not aid Reason, is it strange that she should make but uncertain progress, now hastening forward impetuously, now retarded by fallacy and caught in the net of error? The book is one of the first steps in refuting " spontaneous generation "—a theory also known as Aristotelian abiogenesis. Science experiments really began when we progressed from observation and determination to observation, wondering about that, making a hypothesis about it and then testing it.

    His next treatise in titled Osservazioni intorno agli animali viventi che si trovano negli animali viventi (Observations on Living Animals, that are in Living Animals) recorded the descriptions and the illustrations of more than parasites. In it, he also differentiates the earthworm (generally regarded as a helminth) and Ascaris lumbricoides, the human roundworm.

    An important innovation from the book is his experiments in chemotherapy in which he employed the "control"', the basis of experimental design in modern biological research.[2][4][20] He described some species of parasites. Perhaps, his most significant observation was that parasites produce eggs and develop from them, which contradicted the prevailing opinion that they are produced spontaneously.[21]

    Literary career

    As a poet, Redi is best known for the dithyrambBacco in Toscana (Bacchus in Tuscany), which first appeared in His bacchanalian poem in praise of Tuscan wines is still read in Italy today.[9] He was admitted to two literary societies: the Academy of Arcadia and the Accademia della Crusca.[10] He was an active member of Crusca and supported the preparation of the Tuscan dictionary.[22] He taught the Tuscan language as a lettore pubblico di lingua toscana in Florence in He also composed many other literary works, including his Letters, and Arianna Inferma.[9]

    Eponyms

    • Redi, a crater on Mars was named in his honor.[23]
    • The larval stage of parasitic fluke called "redia" is named after Redi by another Italian zoologist, Filippo de Filippi, in [4]
    • The Redi Award, the most prestigious award in toxinology, is given in his honour by the International Society on Toxinology.

      The award is made at each World Congress of IST (generally held every three years) since [14][24]

    • A scientific journal Redia, an Italian journal of zoology, is named in his honour, which was first published in [25]
    • A European vipersubspecies, Vipera aspis franciscirediLaurenti, , is named after him.[26]

    See also

    References

    1. ^"Francesco Redi".

      Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Archived from the original on 23 October Retrieved 22 October

    2. ^ abLeikola A (–78). "Francesco Redi as a pioneer of experimental biology". Lychnos Lardomshist Samf Arsb. –78 (1–3): – PMID&#;
    3. ^Ioli, A; Petithory, JC; Théodoridès, J ().

      "Francesco Redi and the birth of experimental parasitology".

      Francesco Redi You think I am going to say Galileo, right? Main article: Spontaneous generation. In Redi wrote his first monumental work Osservazioni intorno alle vipere Observations on Vipers to his friend Lorenzo Magalotti, secretary of the Accademia del Cimento. He placed these "separately in glass vessels, well covered with paper," and after 8 days a fly emerged from each.

      Histoire des sciences médicales. 31 (1): 61–6. PMID&#;

    4. ^ abcdeRoncalli Amici R (). "The history of Italian parasitology"(PDF). Veterinary Parasitology.

    5. Experimenter, Parasitologist, Poet
    6. Britannica

    7. 98 (1–3): 3– doi/S(01) PMID&#; Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 October

    8. ^Mehlhorn H (). Encyclopedia of Parasitology, Volumes (3&#;ed.). Springer-Verlag. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Archived from the original on 24 June
    9. ^ abLevine R, Evers C.

      "The Slow Death of Spontaneous Generation ()". Archived from the original on 26 April Retrieved 18 April

    10. ^"Francesco Redi and Controlled Experiments". . Retrieved 10 December
    11. ^"Francesco Redi". . 27 February Retrieved 10 December
    12. ^ abcdHawgood BJ ().

      "Francesco Redi (): Tuscan philosopher, physician and poet". Journal of Medical Biography. 11 (1): 28– doi/ PMID&#; S2CID&#;

    13. ^ abFrancesco Redi of Arezzo () []. Mab Bigelow (translation and notes) (ed.). Experiments on the Generation of Insects. Chicago: Open Court.

      ISBN&#;. Retrieved 2 March

    14. ^Francesco Redi of Arezzo () []. Leigh Hunt (translation and notes) (ed.). Bacchus in Tuscany. London: Printed by J. C. Kelly for John and H. L. Hunt. Retrieved 2 March
    15. ^"Francesco Redi Letters ". National Library of Medicine.
    16. ^Francesco Redi ().

      Knoefel PK (ed.). Francesco Redi on Vipers. Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill. pp.&#;11– ISBN&#;. Archived from the original on 30 April Retrieved 18 April

    17. ^ abHabermehl GG (). "Francesco Redi¬—life and work". Toxicon. 32 (4): – BibcodeTxcnH.

      doi/(94) PMID&#;

    18. ^Buettner KA (). Francesco Redi (The Embryo Project Encyclopedia ). ISSN&#; Archived from the original on 19 June Retrieved 18 April
    19. ^Hayes AN, Gilbert SG (). "Historical milestones and discoveries that shaped the toxicology sciences". Molecular, Clinical and Environmental Toxicology.

      Experientia Supplementum. Vol.&#; pp.&#;1– doi/_1. ISBN&#;. PMID&#;

    20. ^Redi F. "Esperienze intorno alla generazione degl'insetti fatte da Francesco Redi". Archived from the original on 3 September
    21. ^Barnett B (30 September ). "Francesco Redi and Spontaneous Generation".

      Archived from the original on 23 May Retrieved 18 April

    22. ^Gottdenker P (). "Francesco Redi and the fly experiments". Bull Hist Med. 53 (4): – PMID&#;
    23. ^Ioli A, Petithory JC, Théodoridès J (). "Francesco Redi and the birth of experimental parasitology".

      Meat and maggot experiment Helpful Not Helpful. What is spontaneous generation and who disproved the theory? National Library of Medicine. Galileo may have introduced the modern experimental method but Redi created the first controlled experiment, and his clear methodology didn't open him up to personal attacks the way Galileo did.

      Hist Sci Med. 31 (1): 61– PMID&#;

    24. ^Bush AO, Fernández JC, Esch GW, Seed JR (). Parasitism: The Diversity and Ecology of Animal Parasites. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p.&#;4.

      Francesco redi maggot experiment Description Optional. What did Redi conclude? What is an example of a spontaneous generation? Experimental toxicology [ edit ].

      ISBN&#;.

    25. ^&#;One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:&#;Herbermann, Charles, ed. (). "Francesco Redi". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
    26. ^SpaceRef (14 August ). "NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: Promethei Terra".

      Archived from the original on 30 June Retrieved 18 April

    27. ^International Society on Toxinology. "IST Redi Awards". Archived from the original on 4 October Retrieved 18 April
    28. ^REDIA – Journal of Zoology. "History". Archived from the original on 4 October Retrieved 18 April
    29. ^"Vipera aspis francisciredi".

      Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2 May

    Further reading

    External links