Guido Guidi (Latinized name Vidus Vidius) (10 February 1509 – 26 May 1569), was an Italian surgeon, anatomist and translator.

Biography

His father was a physician and his mother was the daughter of the painter Domenico Ghirlandajo. After practicing at

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, he was invited by

Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis ...

to come to Paris to be his personal doctor and teach at the

Collège de France The (), formerly known as the or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment () in France. It is located in Paris near La Sorbonne. The has been considered to be France's most ...

. While in Paris, Guidi befriended artist

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

and published a book on surgery titled: ''Chirurgia'', in 1544. This book was one of the best illustrated at the time and was based on works of

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the Classical Greece, classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referr ...

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus (; September 129 – AD), often Anglicization, anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Ancient Rome, Roman and Greeks, Greek physician, surgeon, and Philosophy, philosopher. Considered to be one o ...

, and

Oribasius Oribasius or Oreibasius (; c. 320 – 403) was a Greek medical writer and the personal physician of the Roman emperor Julian. He studied at Alexandria under physician Zeno of Cyprus before joining Julian's retinue. He was involved in Julian's ...

. In 1547, Guidi returned to Italy to become the personal physician of Cosimo di Medici and teach at

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

. He took holy orders and was ennobled. A book on medicine, incomplete at his death in 1569, was finished by his nephew as ''Ars Medicinalis'' between 1596 and 1611. Today, the

Vidian nerve The nerve of the pterygoid canal (Vidian nerve) is formed by the union of the (parasympathetic) greater petrosal nerve and (sympathetic) deep petrosal nerve within the cartilaginous substance filling the foramen lacerum. From the foramen lacerum ...

in the skull and the

Vidian artery The artery of the pterygoid canal (or Vidian artery) is an artery in the pterygoid canal, in the head. It usually arises from the external carotid artery, but can arise from either the internal or external carotid artery or serve as an anastomosis ...

are named after him.

Works

''Chirurgia è graeco in latinum conuersa, Vido Vidio Florentino interprete cum nonnullis ejusdem Vidii cõmentarijs''
(''Surgery, a translation from Greek to Latin by Guido Guidi, with commentaries by the translator''), Paris, 1544 Digitization by Gallica
''De anatome corporis humani libri VII''
(''The anatomy of the human body. In seven books''), Venice, 1611 Digitization by the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

References

Bibliography

Brief biography

External links

Physicians from Florence 1509 births 1569 deaths Italian surgeons 16th-century people from the Republic of Florence Physicians from the Papal States Expatriates in France {{italy-scientist-stub