Giulio Vassale (22 June 1862 – 3 January 1913) was an Italian

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

and pioneer of

endocrinology Endocrinology (from ''endocrine system, endocrine'' + ''wikt:-logy#Suffix, -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the ...

. He demonstrated the existence and distinctness in function of the gland found next to the

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, it is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck below the Adam's apple. It consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by ...

, the

parathyroid gland Parathyroid glands are small endocrine glands in the neck of humans and other tetrapods. Humans usually have four parathyroid glands, located on the back of the thyroid gland in variable locations. The parathyroid gland produces and secretes par ...

, and was among the first to connect pancreatic functions with sugar metabolism. Vassale was born in

Lerici Lerici (, locally ) is a ''comune'' in the province of La Spezia, in the Italian region of Liguria, part of the Italian Riviera. It is situated on the coast of the Gulf of La Spezia, southeast of La Spezia. It is known as the place where t ...

and went to the

University of Modena The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (), located in Modena and Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, is one of the oldest universities in Europe, founded in 1175, with a population of 20,000 students. The medieval university disappeared b ...

but transferred to

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

where he graduated in medicine in 1887. He studied under

Giulio Bizzozero Giulio Bizzozero (; 20 March 1846 – 8 April 1901) was an Italian doctor and medical researcher. He was a pioneer of histology and is credited with the coining of the term platelets and identifying their function in coagulation. Background ...

and for his doctorate he demonstrated that dog gastric glands were regenerated after a careful aseptic excision. He then studied neurology and secretions of glands. He worked as a pathologist at the Psychiatric Institute of Reggio Emilia before he went to Modena to teach pathology in 1894 becoming a full professor in 1898. He refused to take up a position at the University of Turin where he was to replace the position made vacant by the death of Bizzozero. He however preferred not to take it as it involved administrative work and stayed on at Modena. Along with his assistant Francesco Generali he conducted dissections of the glands next to the thyroid and found that they had a specific role, causing

tetany Tetany or tetanic seizure is a medical sign consisting of the involuntary contraction of muscles, which may be caused by disorders that increase the action potential frequency of muscle cells or of the nerves that innervate them. Cramp, Muscle ...

when removed. In other experiment, he ligated the Wirsung's duct of the pancreas of a dog and examined its effects noting that when the

Islets of Langerhans The pancreatic islets or islets of Langerhans are the regions of the pancreas that contain its endocrine (hormone-producing) cells, discovered in 1869 by German pathological anatomist Paul Langerhans. The pancreatic islets constitute 1–2% o ...

were undamaged, there was no

glycosuria Glycosuria is the excretion of glucose into the urine. Ordinarily, urine contains no glucose because the kidneys are able to reabsorb all of the filtered glucose from the tubular fluid back into the bloodstream. Glycosuria is nearly always cause ...

. He demonstrated that extracts from thyroid glands suppressed the effects of thyroid gland removal. Vassale and Generali however believed that the parathyroid gland produced substances that helped detoxify some toxic metabolites. He died of cancer aged fifty.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vassale, Giulio 1862 births 1913 deaths Italian anatomists Italian endocrinologists Academic staff of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia