Angelo Ruffini (Pretare of Arquata del Tronto; 1864–1929) was an Italian histologist and

embryologist Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, '' -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embryos ...

. He studied medicine at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in contin ...

, where beginning in 1894 he taught classes in

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures v ...

. In 1903 he attained the chair of

embryology Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, '' -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embr ...

at the

University of Siena The University of Siena ( it, Università degli Studi di Siena, abbreviation: UNISI) in Siena, Tuscany, is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called ''Studium Senese'', the institution was founded in 12 ...

. He was the first to describe small encapsulated nerve endings (

mechanoreceptor A mechanoreceptor, also called mechanoceptor, is a sensory receptor that responds to mechanical pressure or distortion. Mechanoreceptors are innervated by sensory neurons that convert mechanical pressure into electrical signals that, in animals, a ...

s) which were to become known as

Ruffini corpuscles The Bulbous corpuscle or Ruffini ending or Ruffini corpuscle is a slowly adapting mechanoreceptor located in the cutaneous tissue between the dermal papillae and the hypodermis. It is named after Angelo Ruffini Angelo Ruffini (Pretare of Arquata ...

. He used a gold chloride stain on his microscope slides in order for to view the tiny corpuscles. Ruffini was a pioneer in the study of

amphibian Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbo ...

gastrulation Gastrulation is the stage in the early embryonic development of most animals, during which the blastula (a single-layered hollow sphere of cells), or in mammals the blastocyst is reorganized into a multilayered structure known as the gastrula. ...

, providing a comprehensive and detailed description on the formation of "bottle cells". He published these findings in a book titled ''Fisiogenia'' (1925).

Relationship with Sir Charles Sherrington

Between 1896 and 1903, Ruffini corresponded regularly with Sir Charles Sherrington. This relationship evolved after Ruffini sent copies of his papers on muscle nerve endings to Sherrington. Ruffini also sent Sherrington eleven slides of 'Organi nervosi'
available online
and Sherrington was instrumental in getting Ruffini's work published in the Journal of Physiology.Molnár Z, Brown RE., 2010. Insights into the life and work of Sir Charles Sherrington. Nat Rev Neurosci. 11(6):429-36

References

(translated biography) * ttp://www.ijdb.ehu.es/ft771.pdfAmphibian gastrulation: history and evolution of a 125-year-old concept {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruffini, Angelo 1864 births 1929 deaths Italian anatomists Embryologists University of Bologna alumni University of Siena faculty