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Francesco Redi (Arezzo, Italy, 1626 – Pisa, Italy, 1697) was a physician, naturalist, and poet. Along with Galileo Galilei, Redi was one of the most important scientists who questioned the traditional approach to Aristotle’s scientific studies. He demonstrated that living beings are not born by spontaneous generation, which is why he is considered the founder of helminthology (he studied worms). He became famous thanks to his experiments with which he refuted the popular idea of spontaneous generation: the belief that living organisms can arise from non-living matter. Due to his scientific works, he is considered the father of modern parasitology and the founder of experimental biology.
The scientific contributions of Francesco Redi
the vipers
Francesco Redi studied poisonous snakes to discredit various popular myths. He showed that it is not true that snakes drink wine, that taking snake venom is toxic, or that venom is produced in a snake’s gallbladder. He also discovered that the poison was not toxic unless it was put directly into the bloodstream, and that the evolution of the poison in the patient could be slowed if a ligature was applied to the affected part. His work was very important because he laid the scientific foundations of toxicology.
spontaneous generation
Let’s look at one of the most famous experiments that Redi developed as part of his research on spontaneous generation. At that time he believed in the Aristotelian idea of abiogenesis, which is that living organisms arise from non-living matter. Rotten meat was believed to spontaneously generate maggots over time.
However, Redi had read a book by William Harvey on spontaneous generation in which Harvey argued that insects, worms, and frogs could arise from eggs or seeds too small to be seen by the human eye. Redi designed and carried out the famous experiment in which he had six jars, half open to the open air and the other half covered with a fine gauze that allowed air to circulate but kept flies away. The jars of each group were filled with an unidentified object, with dead fish and with raw meat. The result was that fish and meat rotted in both sets of jars, but maggots only formed in the jars that were open to air. And the worms did not develop in the jar with the unidentified object.
Redi did other experiments with worms. In one of them he placed dead flies or worms in sealed jars containing meat and observed that no live worms appeared. However, when he put live flies into a jar of meat, maggots appeared. He concluded that the maggots came from live flies, not from rotting meat or dead flies or maggots.
The experiments with worms and flies were very important, not only because they contradicted the prevailing idea of spontaneous generation at the time, but also because he used control groups, thus applying the scientific method that was later protocolized to test a hypothesis.
parasitology
Redi described and drew over a hundred types of parasites such as ticks, noseflies, and the sheep liver parasite. He distinguished between the earthworm and the roundworm, both of which were considered helminths prior to his study. He also carried out chemotherapy experiments in parasitology, which were particularly relevant, since he used an experimental control. In 1837, the Italian zoologist Filippo de Filippi named the larval study of the trematode parasite redia in honor of Redi.
Other aspects of the life of Francesco Redi
Francesco Redi was also a poet. Redi Baco’s poem in Tuscany , published after his death, is considered one of the greatest literary works of the 17th century. He taught the Tuscan language and supported the writing and publication of a Tuscan dictionary. He was a member of various literary societies and published other important works.
Redi was a contemporary of Galileo, who suffered persecution from the Church. Although Redi’s experiments and conclusions went against the beliefs of the time, he did not have the same type of questioning as Galileo. This could be due to the different personalities of the two scientists. Although both were very direct and sincere, Redi never contradicted the Church. Referring to his work on spontaneous generation, Redi concluded, expressed in Latin, that omne vivum ex vivo (“all life comes from life”).
It is interesting to note that, despite his experiments, Redi believed that spontaneous generation could occur in some cases, such as intestinal worms.
Fountain
Altieri Biagi, Maria Luisa (1968). Language and culture of Francesco Redi, doctor . Florence. LS Olschki.Francesco Redi
