Giuseppe Bastianelli (25 October 1862 – 30 March 1959) was an Italian

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

who worked on

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. ...

and was the personal physician of

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his deat ...

Born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Bastianelli was initially interested in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...

and

neurology Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...

; subsequently he became interested in the study of

. He worked in the "Santo Spirito a Roma" hospital with

Ettore Marchiafava Ettore Marchiafava (3 January 1847 – 22 October 1935) was an Italian physician, pathologist and neurologist. He spent most of his career as professor of medicine at the University of Rome (now Sapienza Università di Roma). His works on malar ...

Angelo Celli Angelo Celli (25 March 1857 – 2 November 1914) was an Italian physician, hygienist, parasitologist and philanthropist known for his pioneering work on the malarial parasite and control of malaria. He was Professor of Hygiene at the Universit ...

and

Amico Bignami Amico Bignami (15 April 1862 – 8 September 1929) was an Italian physician, pathologist, malariologist and sceptic. He was professor of pathology at Sapienza University of Rome. His most important scientific contribution was in the discovery of ...

, studying the clinical aspects of this disease. He then moved to the

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...

where he directed l'Istituto di Malariologia, the Institute of Malarial studies dedicated to

, where he worked until he died. The institute was a major contributor to the campaign that led to the complete eradication of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Biography

Early life

Giuseppe Bastianelli was born in Rome on October 25, 1862, in a family originally from

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, from Giulio Bastianelli and Teresa Zanca. Being the son of Giulio Bastianelli, chief physician in the

Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia The Hospital of the Holy Spirit ( it, L'Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia) is the oldest hospital in Europe, located in Rome, Italy. It now serves as a convention center. The complex lies in rione Borgo, east of Vatican City and next to the mo ...

and municipal councilor, as well as the nephew of a

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

operating in Trevi in Umbria, Giuseppe Bastianelli grew up in a medical-influenced environment, along with his younger brother Raffaele Bastianelli. This oriented his younger self towards the development of medical interests, which he will then explore and deepen during his university years. His elder brother Raffaele Bastianelli (

, 26 December 1863 –

, 1 September 1961) undertook a successful career as well, being a surgeon specialized in

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

as well as a political figure due to his nomination of senator.

Studies and Career

Giuseppe Bastianelli attended the Medicine faculty at the University of Rome, and he explored with diligence the subjects of

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

and

but especially of

, soon becoming a student of the physiologist

Jacob Moleschott Jacob Moleschott (9 August 1822 – 20 May 1893) was a Dutch physiologist and writer on dietetics. He is known for his philosophical views in regard to scientific materialism. He was a member of German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (since 1884). ...

, with whom he started interesting investigations on intestinal juices, which were unfortunately interrupted then for lack of means. He also studied

with Stanislao Cannizzaro. Ospedale Santo Spirito in Sassia (4419360883)

He obtained a medical degree in 1885 and thus, a medical culture of the highest order was formed, which later made him gain recognition even outside of Italy (primarily in America, England and Germany). In 1891, at twenty-nine years old, Bastianelli earned the title of primary doctor in the ''

, where he worked alongside the physicians

and

, especially in the field of the

physiopathology Pathophysiology ( physiopathology) – a convergence of pathology with physiology – is the study of the disordered physiological processes that cause, result from, or are otherwise associated with a disease or injury. Pathology is ...

. He became professor at

and dirigent of The Institute of Malariology "E. Marchiafava", and he was the only member of the Roman School of Malariology to take part in the campaign of eradication of malaria, in support of the work of Alberto Coluzzi.

Political and later life

Giuseppe Bastianelli was then awarded the nomination of

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 1939, due to his admirable scientific accomplishments, and he was able to get the recognition he deserved for his excellence in both the medical and social field. He died in

on March 30, 1959, at the age of ninety-six.

Research

Work on Anopheles

Bastianelli Bastianelli is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alfredo Bastianelli (born in Rome, 1951), Italian diplomat *Giuseppe Bastianelli (1862–1959), Italian physician and zoologist *Marta Bastianelli Marta Bastianelli (b ...

dedicated himself to a long series of researches on the various clinical forms of

, a life-threatening

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

that represented one of the most serious issues of the social medicine of his time and that claimed many human victims in some areas close to

, where himself lived. Between 1880 and 1885, he and his colleagues

Camillo Golgi Camillo Golgi (; 7 July 184321 January 1926) was an Italian biologist and pathologist known for his works on the central nervous system. He studied medicine at the University of Pavia (where he later spent most of his professional career) betwe ...

and

Giovanni Battista Grassi Giovanni Battista Grassi (27 March 1854 – 4 May 1925) was an Italian physician and zoologist, best known for his pioneering works on parasitology, especially on malariology. He was Professor of Comparative Zoology at the University of Catania ...

contributed to the resolution of this big social and sanitary issue by associating a different species of

Plasmodium ''Plasmodium'' is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of ''Plasmodium'' species involve development in a blood-feeding insect host which then injects parasites into a ve ...

to each type of malaric fever: the most severe form of malaria, called ''terzana maligna'' was attributed to

Plasmodium falciparum ''Plasmodium falciparum'' is a unicellular protozoan parasite of humans, and the deadliest species of ''Plasmodium'' that causes malaria in humans. The parasite is transmitted through the bite of a female '' Anopheles'' mosquito and causes the ...

, while a milder form of the disease called ''terzana benigna'' was associated to

Plasmodium vivax ''Plasmodium vivax'' is a protozoal parasite and a human pathogen. This parasite is the most frequent and widely distributed cause of recurring malaria. Although it is less virulent than ''Plasmodium falciparum'', the deadliest of the five huma ...

. The research that, among all, gave Bastianelli his fame was that on the cycle of the parasite in the

anopheles ''Anopheles'' () is a genus of mosquito first described and named by J. W. Meigen in 1818. About 460 species are recognised; while over 100 can transmit human malaria, only 30–40 commonly transmit parasites of the genus ''Plasmodium'', which ...

. Bastianelli and Bignami worked on anopheles that were caught and sent to them by Grassi and fed with the blood of malarici, allowing them to finally obtain the development of the parasite: they could therefore describe all the phases of the sporogonic cycle of Plasmodium Vivax from the Cocists stage of 42 hours until the formation and liberation of the sporozoites, and they presented their report on the subject to the

Accademia dei Lincei The Accademia dei Lincei (; literally the " Academy of the Lynx-Eyed", but anglicised as the Lincean Academy) is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in R ...

on December the 4th 1898. Between September 1898 and February 1899,

, entomologist at the Roman School of Malariology, concluded the work on the identification of

vectors, and together with Bastianelli and Bignami he clarified the biological pattern of plasmodia from Anopheles

mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...

to man in studies conducted in

in Rome using

Anopheles claviger ''Anopheles claviger'' is a mosquito species found in Palearctic realm covering Europe, North Africa, northern Arabian Peninsula, and northern Asia. It is responsible for transmitting malaria in some of these regions. The mosquito is made up of ...

Text was copied from this source, which is available under
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
license. Once the biological pattern of malaria transmission had been identified, all the possible breaking points in the transmission chain were considered to achieve the target of stopping it. Bastianelli was also among the firsts attempting to conduct modern clinical trials in Italy on antimalarial agents, in respect of which

methodology In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for br ...

used is particularly relevant. Main features of his trials are the attention to both historical controls and concurrent controls, the accurate description of side effects, the interest in the short-term findings to assess whether the action of the preventive or therapeutic interventions persisted over time.

Work on Leukocytes

Between 1891 and 1892,

dedicated himself to the study of the function of

leukocytes White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mu ...

in the

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...

, concluding that circulating mononucleated

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

s behave in the same way as the fixed elements of the splenic and medullary pulp with which they share the morphological significance: an observation that anticipated the concept of the

reticuloendothelial system In anatomy the term "reticuloendothelial system" (abbreviated RES), often associated nowadays with the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), was originally launched by the beginning of the 20th century to denote a system of specialised cells that eff ...

, which was established only some years later. In addition, he illustrated the

pathogenesis Pathogenesis is the process by which a disease or disorder develops. It can include factors which contribute not only to the onset of the disease or disorder, but also to its progression and maintenance. The word comes from Greek πάθος ''pat ...

hemoglobinuria and the passage of parasites from mother to

fetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal dev ...

Teaching

New Teaching Method

In 1926, Bastianelli was entrusted with the teaching of medical semeiotics at the University of Rome, occupying the first chair of semiotics in

, which he left in 1935 for age limits. His vast culture allowed him to form a large group of pupils, and he established a new educational course which was mainly practical and consisted in putting small groups of students in contact with the patient and instructing them with the help of his collaborators. The method became established and was followed by numerous doctors; practical teaching was supplemented by a few theoretical lessons, real essays on

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...

and

applied to sick people. He endowed and enriched the institute, even only for generous personal donations, of the best scientific apparatus.

Institute of Malariology

The Institute

was born as an evolution of the Superior School of Malariology, established in

in 1925 as an output of the international Congress of malaria. The school was established with the aim of ''Promoting studies and training on all the medical problems related to malaria and on the reclamation and on the cultivation of marshy areas. Initially, the institute was directed by Professor Vittorio Ascoli and had its headquarters at the Medical Center of the Royal University of Rome.

succeeded to Ascoli, being appointed Director on March 25, 1931. With the new direction, the school was relocated from the medical clinic to the IX pavilion of the

Policlinico Umberto I Located in the Quartiere San Lorenzo, the Policlinico Umberto I of Rome is the polyclinic of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Sapienza Università di Roma. The second largest public hospital in Italy (after the Policlinico Sant'Orsola-M ...

. Six years on from its creation, the School was transformed into the ''Institute of Malariology

'' because more suitable toward research. The Institute had the aim of teaching malariology and studying malaria.Majori, G. Napolitani, F. Il Laboratorio di Malariologia, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Quaderno 5. Pag 9-16 PDF file available fro

/ref> In the Institute there were courses of specialization for doctors from all over the world, initially promoted by the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...

, to create competent personnel to be sent to the different countries struggling with malaria. During these courses, Bastianelli organized trips and visits to the areas of

most plagued by

to illustrate the organization and defensive and

prophylactic Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...

network against it and to raise awareness on chronic

. Over the years, he followed the development of studies on

. Later, during the conflict of the Second World War, the Laboratory of Malariology continued its work of research, despite the imaginable difficulties of the moment. The activity, in fact, took place mainly in the laboratory and to a very limited extent in the field. Giuseppe Bastianelli was the only member of the ''Roman School of Malariology'' to take part in the campaign of eradication of

, supporting the work of Alberto Coluzzi.

Main Publications

* ''On spring malarial infection'', in collaboration with

, 1890. * ''Observations on summer-autumn malarial forms'', in collaboration with

, 1890. * ''On the transmission of malaria parasites from mother to fetus'', in collaboration with

, 1892. * ''Studies on malarial infection''; in collaboration with

, 1893–94. * ''Sur la nature des parasites des fièvres estate-autoninales'', in collaboration with

, 1895. * ''Combined sclerosis of the spinal cord in pernicious anemias'', 1895–96. * ''Cultivation of man’s malarial half-moons in the Anopheles Claviger'', in collaboration with

and

, 1898. * ''On the development of tertian parasites in the Anopheles Claviger'', in collaboration with

, 1898–1899. * ''Resoconto degli studi fatti sulla malaria durante il mese di gennaio'', in collaboration with

and

, 1899. * ''Weitere Untersuchungen úber den Lebenslauf der menschlichen Malariaparasiten in Körper des Moskito''; in collaboration with

and

, 1899. * ''Untersuchungen die malaria'', in collaboration with

and

, 1900. * ''Ueber die Structur der Malariaparasiten, insbesondere der Gameten der Parasiten des Aestivoautumnalfieber'', in collaboration with

, 1900. * ''Plasmodium Falciparum''; in collaboration with

, 1900. * ''Considerations on the treatment of malaria'', 1933. * ''On the treatment of malaria: Immunity and therapy'', 1936. * ''Malaria'', in Lo Sperimentale, 1941. * ''What must be done to prevent and treat malaria in Sanitary Forces'', 1941. * ''Exo-Erythrocytic forms of malaria parasites'', 1948.

References

Bibliography

''Bastianelli Giuseppe'', su Treccani, Enciclopedie on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
* Bastianelli G., Canalis A., Mosna E., ''Prevention and Treatment of Malaria by synthetic drugs: Field Experiments'', The James Lind Library, 1937/2010.
Battaglia F., Campofiorito N., Deplano C., ''Malaria''

Cardillo M., ''Bastianelli Giuseppe', 2017
* Conci, C., ''Repertorio delle biografie e bibliografie degli scrittori e cultori italiani di entomologia. Memorie della Società Entomologica Italiana'', 817–1069, 1969/1975. * Conci, C. & Poggi, R., ''Iconography of Italian entomologists, with essential biographical data'', 75 159–382, 418 figures, 1996. * Caxalis, A. , Lega G., Raffaele, G., astianelli, G.''Rivista di Malariologia'', Portrait, 1959. * Cox, Francis EG, ''History of the Discovery of the Malaria Parasites and Their Vectors'', Parasites & Vectors 3, 2010. * Garattini, S., Italian controlled trials to assess prevention and treatment of malaria, 1900-1930s. JLL Bulletin: Commentaries on the history of treatment evaluation, 201

* Howard, L. O., ''Bastianelli, G.'' "Smithson. Miscell. Coll", 84 468, 491, 580, 1930. * Raffaele, G., ''Bastianelli, G.'' 20 223–228, 1959. * Sebastiani, A., ''I Disturbi Del Ritmo Cardiaco: Prefazione Di Giuseppe Bastianelli'', Biblioteca Nazionale Di Firenze, 1924.
Senato, ''Scheda Senatore BASTIANELLI Giuseppe''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bastianelli, Giuseppe 1862 births 1959 deaths Physicians from Rome Italian zoologists 20th-century Italian physicians Malariologists Italian tropical physicians