title: The history of Italian parasitology.
abstract: The history of Italian parasitology can be subdivided into two periods: pre-Redi and post-Redi. The first period includes the contributions to parasitology by savants who operated during the Roman, medieval and Renaissance eras; the second period started in 1668 when Francesco Redi published his experiments to debunk the theory of spontaneous generation; the work of Redi was subsequently continued by Vallisnieri, Spallanzani and others. The latter period includes classic contributions in the field of parasitology provided by veterinarians such as Ercolani, Perroncito, Piana and Rivolta, and by physicians such as Bassi, Grassi, Golgi, and Celli. Also, two outstanding pages of medical parasitology were written during this period--the unraveling and defeat of St. Gotthard's disease and the conquering of malaria on Italian soil--both accomplished through the generous efforts of dedicated individuals.
authors.affiliation: American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, 29 Louise Drive, Milltown, NJ 08850, USA. raroncal@bellatlantic.net
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roncalli Amici
mesh_terms: D000722:Ancylostoma / Q000254:growth & development; D000724:Ancylostomiasis / Q000266:history; D000818:Animals; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008288:Malaria / Q000266:history; D010274:Parasitology / Q000266:history*; D010965:Plasmodium malariae / Q000254:growth & development