Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 561

FRANCESCO REDI (1626-1698) Osservazioni intorno alle vipere. All'Insegna della Stella 1664 91 [5] pp. 24.5 cm.

Redi completed his doctorate in medicine and philosophy at Pisa in 1647. He spent the next five years studying and traveling about Europe before entering the service of Ferdinand II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. At Ferdinand's death, Redi continued at the Tuscan Court under the former's son, Cosimo III. Redi has been called the father of helminthology and his Osservazioni intorno agli animali viventi che si trovano negli animali viventi (1684) is one of the earliest and best works on parasitology. Redi described more than 100 species of parasites and was an avid student of the development of snakes, birds, insects, and fish. Redi was also one of the earliest to challenge the doctrine of spontaneous generation. The present work on the poison of vipers, as well as that on the generation of lower animals, places him at the forefront of the biologists of his time. In this treatise, written in the form of a letter to Lorenzo Magalotti (1637-1712), Redi described his experiments with various poisonous snakes. He demonstrated that when the venom is mixed with food and ingested into the stomach it is harmless. In additional experiments he showed that venom has no effect if placed on the surface of the skin but must be introduced into the circulatory system in order to be effective. Redi's correspondent Magalotti was one of the early members of the Accademia del Cimento, founded at Florence in 1657 by Ferdinando II de'Medici and his brother Prince Leopoldo. Magalotti was the academy's secretary and frequently published scientific essays by Borelli, Redi, and other scientists of the day in the academy's publications.

Cited references: Garrison-Morton 2102; Osler 3774

Gift of John Martin, M.D.