Marcello Mapighi--a tribute.

Marcello Malpighi was probably the best known member of the faculty at the Medical School of Bologna. He was an anatomist, physiologist, botanist , and an entomologist . It was not until his appearance that the real value of the microscope was appreciated. He studied the embryologic form of the kidney and depicted in drawings how it was modified into the adult. He demonstrated the capillary anastomosis between the arteries and veins which was implicit in William Harvey's writings. He was a physician to Pope Innocent XII. Most historians call him one of the most charming personalities in the history of medicine.