Fortunato of Brescia (1701–1754) was an Italian
Minorite of the Reform of Lombardy and anatomist.
Life
He was born at
Brescia, and received the religious habit in 1718. A philosopher and theologian, Fortunato was also renowned for his studies in the natural sciences. He was secretary general of his order, and stood in high favour at the Bourbon court of Spain. He died in
Madrid.
Works
He was among the first to bring together the teachings of Scholastic philosophy and the discoveries of the physical sciences. His scientific work is rendered important by his extensive use of the
microscope, in which he followed the lead of
Malpighi
Marcello Malpighi (10 March 1628 – 30 November 1694) was an Italian biologist and physician, who is referred to as the "Founder of microscopical anatomy, histology & Father of physiology and embryology". Malpighi's name is borne by several phy ...
. Avoiding the then prevalent discussions on
vitalism
Vitalism is a belief that starts from the premise that "living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things." Wher ...
, he devoted himself to a positive study of the problems of natural science.
Convinced that a knowledge of microscopic anatomy is the key to the secrets of nature, he deemed two things to be of prime importance:
#an experimental study of the
histological constitution of the various
organs, to learn their functions; and
#the separation of these organs into their elements, to determine their
embryological origin.
This view, clear in the works of Fortunato, has prevailed in pathology and physiology. and in this sense Fortunato was a pioneer. He confined himself to the microscopic study of the parts of the organism, and in this way succeeded in classifying
tissues and organs many years before
Bichat
Marie François Xavier Bichat (; ; 14 November 1771 – 22 July 1802) was a French anatomist and pathologist, known as the father of modern histology. Although he worked without a microscope, Bichat distinguished 21 types of elementary tissues ...
(1800). Fortunato was the first to distinguish between tissues and organs.
He established the idea of tissues, or, as he wrote, "of those organic parts which possess a definite structure visible with the microscope and characterized by their component elements". With sufficient accuracy he described connective and bony tissue. The morphological complexus of the various tissues he calls the "system of tissues"; and the physiological complexus of the various organs he calls the "system of organs".
From his many accurate descriptions, it is evident that his researches extended to many animals, and particularly to
insects. He innovated in comparative anatomy, with ideas not found in Malpighi,
Morgagni,
Leeuwenhoek, or
Haller Haller is a surname of English and German origin. It is the last name of:
* Albin Haller (1849–1925), French chemist
* Albrecht von Haller (1708–1777), Swiss anatomist and physiologist, also notable for his contributions to botany
* Albrecht v ...
, the path-finders in microscopic anatomy.
References
;Attribution
* The entry cites:
**
GEMELLI, Un precursore della moderna morfologia comparata in Atti del Congresso dei Naturalisti Italiani (Milan, 1907);
**____, P. Fortunato da Brescia in Rivista di fisica, matematica e scienze naturali (Pavia, 1908), with portrait and complete bibliography.
External links
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{{Authority control
1701 births
1754 deaths
Italian Franciscans
Italian anatomists
Italian Christian monks