title: Vittorio Marchi, MD (1851-1908): an unsung pioneer of neuroscience.
abstract: Vittorio Marchi was an Italian neuroscientist who lived during the second half of the 19th century. He is generally remembered for developing a novel staining method to trace the degeneration of nervous fibers in lesions of the central nervous system. This osmium-based method was used worldwide for approximately a century and continues to be cited in modern textbooks. Despite several important original scientific contributions, Marchi was never awarded a university chair. Discouraged, he left to practice neurology in a rural area but continued to write outstanding articles, and in 1897, he became a pioneer of meningioma surgery. Today, he is remembered only in specialized contexts. We hope this article can provide the recognition that Marchi deserves.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Neurosurgery and ‡Centro Documentazione Biomedica, Niguarda Ca'Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Talamonti
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Aliberti
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Debernardi
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Innocenti
mesh_terms: D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000266:history*; D008579:Meningioma / Q000266:history*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009462:Neurology / Q000266:history*; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000266:history*