Ettore Marchiafava facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ettorre Marchiafava
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| Born | 15 January 1847 |
| Died | 22 October 1935 (aged 88) Rome, Kingdom of Italy
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| Nationality | Italian |
| Citizenship | Italy |
| Alma mater | Royal University of Rome |
| Known for | Marchiafava–Bignami disease Marchiafava's postpneumonic triad Strübing-Marchiafava-Micheli syndrome Etiology of malaria Genus name Plasmodium |
| Children | John and Ricardo |
| Awards | Manson Medal (1926) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Medicine Pathology Neurology |
| Institutions | Royal University of Rome |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Marchiafava |
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Senator
Ettore Marchiafava
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| Senato del Regno | |
| In office 24 November 1913 – 4 July 1914 |
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| President | Giuseppe Manfredi |
| Constituency | Rome |
Ettore Marchiafava (born January 3, 1847 – died October 22, 1935) was an important Italian doctor. He was an expert in pathology (studying diseases) and neurology (studying the brain and nerves). He spent most of his career as a professor of medicine at the University of Rome.
Marchiafava's work on malaria was very important. He and Angelo Celli were the first to see living malaria parasites in human blood. They also figured out the difference between different types of malaria parasites. In 1885, they officially named these tiny parasites Plasmodium. They also found the germ called meningococcus, which causes meningitis, a serious infection of the brain and spinal cord. Marchiafava was also the first to describe a specific brain condition, now called Marchiafava–Bignami disease. He also fully described a genetic disease of the blood known as Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. He was even the personal doctor for three different popes and the Italian royal family. In 1913, he became a senator in the Kingdom of Italy.
About Ettore Marchiafava
Ettore Marchiafava was born in Rome, Italy. He studied medicine and surgery at the University of Rome and graduated in 1869. He earned his doctorate degree in 1872 and won a gold medal for his studies.
He started working as an assistant in the pathology department at the University of Rome. He became an associate professor in 1881 and a full professor in 1885. Later, he became the head of the department. He also became a professor of medicine. He retired in 1922 but continued as a Professor Emeritus, meaning he kept his title and honors.
During his career, Marchiafava held many important positions. He was the Director of Pathological Histology at the University of Rome. He was also a member of the Higher Council of Education and the Provincial Health Council of Rome. He served as Vice-chairman of the Italian Red Cross. He was a member of the Accademia dei Lincei, a famous Italian academy, and later became its vice-president. He was the personal doctor for three popes: Leo XIII, Pius X, and Benedict XV. He also served as the official doctor for the Italian Royal Family. In 1913, he was chosen to be a senator in the Italian Parliament.
Discoveries and Contributions
Marchiafava became interested in studying diseases after meeting Robert Koch, a famous scientist, in Berlin. He spent eleven years, from 1880 to 1891, studying malaria very closely.
- Understanding Malaria:
* In 1880, with Angelo Celli, he confirmed that tiny living organisms (called Oscillaria malariae at the time) caused malaria. They found these organisms in the blood of many patients with malaria fever. * They were the first to use special stains, like methylene blue, to clearly see the malaria parasites as blue spots inside blood cells. * They showed that these parasites lived inside blood cells and multiplied by simply splitting in two. * They were also the first to identify different stages of the malaria parasite's life cycle in human blood. * In 1885, they officially named the new microorganism Plasmodium. * Their work helped doctors tell the difference between various types of malaria, which are caused by different Plasmodium species. * With Amico Bignami, he published an important book in 1892 called On Summer-Autumnal Fevers. This book was a major step forward in understanding malaria. It also provided strong evidence that mosquitoes spread malaria.
- Other Medical Discoveries:
* In 1884, Marchiafava and Angelo Celli were the first to see specific bacteria in the fluid around the brain and spinal cord of a patient who died from meningitis. These bacteria were later identified as Neisseria meningitidis, which causes bacterial meningitis. * Marchiafava also described for the first time how arteries in the brain can become inflamed. * In 1897, he observed a specific change in the brain of a patient. In 1903, with Amico Bignami, he fully described a brain condition now known as Marchiafava–Bignami disease. * He was the first to show how hardening of the coronary arteries (the blood vessels supplying the heart) plays a role in heart attacks. * He also studied nephropathy (kidney disease) and described a type of kidney inflammation caused by Streptococcus bacteria. * In 1931, he gave a detailed description of Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a rare blood disease.
In 1925, Marchiafava organized the first international conference focused on malaria.
Awards and Honors
Ettore Marchiafava received many awards and honors for his important contributions to medicine:
- Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy (1881)
- Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy (1885)
- Knight of the Order of SS. Maurice and Lazarus (1889)
- Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy (1894)
- Elected honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (1905)
- Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy (1907)
- Knight of the Order of Civil Savoy (1916)
- Commander of the Order of SS. Maurice and Lazarus (1923)
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Italy (1924)
- Grand Officer of the Order of SS. Maurice and Lazarus (1926)
- Manson Medal (1926)
