Francesco Redi

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Francesco Redi
Portrait by Jacob Ferdinand Voet
Born(1626-02-18)18 February 1626
Arezzo, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Died1 March 1697(1697-03-01) (aged 71)
Pisa, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
NationalityTuscan
Alma materUniversity of Pisa
Known forExperimental biology
Parasitology
Criticism of spontaneous generation
Scientific career
FieldsMedicine, entomology, parasitology, linguistics

Francesco Redi (18 February 1626 – 1 March 1697) was an

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

Cosimo III
gave him a medal of honor.

Biography

Doctor Redi

The son of Gregorio Redi and Cecilia de Ghinci, Francesco Redi was born in

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 1657 to 1667.[9]

He died in his sleep on 1 March 1697 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 1664 Redi wrote his first monumental work Osservazioni intorno alle vipere (Observations on Vipers) to his friend Lorenzo Magalotti, secretary of the Accademia del Cimento. In this he began to break the prevailing scientific myths (which he called "unmasking of the untruths") such as

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
Esperienze intorno alla generazione degl'insetti frontcover

Redi is best known for his series of experiments, published in 1668 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, prevailing wisdom was that maggots arose spontaneously from rotting meat.[6]

A modern rendering of Redi's experiment on abiogenesis

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 it. 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. 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]

Illustration from Rediʼs Esperienze intorno alla generazione degl'insetti

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

experimental design in modern biological research.[2][4][20] He described some 180 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]

Statue of Francesco Redi on the Uffizi Gallery (Piazzale degli Uffizi) in Florence. At his feet is a copy of Bacco in Toscana.

Literary career

As a

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 1666. He also composed many other literary works, including his Letters, and Arianna Inferma.[9]

Eponyms

See also

References

  1. ^ "Francesco Redi". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  2. ^
    PMID 11628017
    .
  3. PMID 11625103
    .
  4. ^
    PMID 11516576. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 23 October 2013.
  5. ISBN 978-3540489948. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help
    )
  6. ^ a b Levine R, Evers C. "The Slow Death of Spontaneous Generation (1668-1859)". Archived from the original on 26 April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  7. ^ "Francesco Redi and Controlled Experiments". www.scientus.org. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Francesco Redi". brunelleschi.imss.fi.it. 27 February 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  9. ^
    S2CID 23575162
    .
  10. ^
    ISBN 9780527744007
    . Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  11. ^ Francesco Redi of Arezzo (1825) [1685]. Leigh Hunt (translation and notes) (ed.). Bacchus in Tuscany. London: Printed by J. C. Kelly for John and H. L. Hunt. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  12. ^ "Francesco Redi Letters 1683-1693". National Library of Medicine.
  13. ISBN 9004089489. Archived
    from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  14. ^
    PMID 8052995
    .
  15. ISSN 1940-5030. Archived from the original
    on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  16. PMID 19157056. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help
    )
  17. ^ Redi F. "Esperienze intorno alla generazione degl'insetti fatte da Francesco Redi". Archived from the original on 3 September 2012.
  18. ^ Barnett B (30 September 2011). "Francesco Redi and Spontaneous Generation". Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  19. PMID 397843
    .
  20. PMID 11625103
    .
  21. ISBN 0521664470
    .
  22. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Francesco Redi". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  23. ^ SpaceRef (14 August 2004). "NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: Promethei Terra". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  24. ^ International Society on Toxinology. "IST Redi Awards". Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  25. ^ REDIA – Journal of Zoology. "History". Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  26. ^ "Vipera aspis francisciredi". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2 May 2015.

Further reading

External links

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