Marcello Malpighi

Malpighi, Marcello (1628–94), Italian physician and botanist who made significant advances in the understanding of human anatomy. His mastery of the microscope enabled him to perform important research on animal tissues. He discovered that lungs are made up of small air sacs, called alveoli and that the veins connect to the arteries. He was the first person to describe red blood cells. Other significant contributions were made in the study of insect and plant anatomy. Malpighi was also a professor of medicine at the University of Bologna and served as the personal physician to Pope Innocent XII.

See also: Botany; Anatomy.