The Life and Accomplishments of Francesco Redi

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The Life and Accomplishments of Francesco Redi

Francesco Redi was born on February 19, 1626 in Arezzo, Italy. He died on

March 1, 1697 in Pisa, Italy. His father was Gregorio Redi a renowned Florentine

physician who worked at the Medici court. His mother’s name was Cecilia de' Ghinci.

Redi was the eldest of nine brothers. He graduated in philosophy and medicine from the

University of Pisa on May 1st 1647. On April 26, 1648 he registered at the Collegio

Medico in Florence, and was the head physician and superintendent. He was also a

Member of the small Accademia del Cimento which was in activity from 1657-

1667. (World Book Deluxe)

Redi’s first discovery was when “Contrary to prevailing belief, Redi held that snake venom was completely unrelated to it’s bile. It was rather the yellow humor produced by ‘ two glands, which I have found in all vipers.’ The humor stagnates in the ‘two sheaths in which the viper bares it’s fangs and strikes, it is of necessity spurted on the wound.’” Redi discovered that sucking on the tissues that had been injected with the venom would not make anyone sick; with this discovery, Redi concluded that in order for the poison to be effective it had to enter the bloodstream directly. He also discovered that in snake-bite victims that “A tight ligature not far above the wound so the poison is not carried to the heart by the circular movement of the blood, and all the blood infected.” (Gillespie 341)

Redi was perhaps the first toxicologist; he performed countless experiments with the effects of the snakebite. He would, poison other animals with the venom taken from living, and dead snakes. He would sprinkle liquid or powdered venom on the wounds, or puncture the animal w...

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...sco. At the beginning of the 19th century his body was moved to the

Cathedral, where only a bust now remains in the right wall. His religion and

philosophy was of the catholic faith, his religion helped him to devise the

experiments that he made in order to disprove spontaneous generation and

accredit the Bible. He gave many contributions to science and helped pave the

way for modern science work. Francesco Redi spent a lifetime correcting a myth

that otherwise, we might still believe today. His influences are still with us today,

because of him, we have a standard way of devising experiments, knowledge of

how to make tourniquets, and we also have a whole field of toxicology that helps

us today. Because of Francesco Redi, our knowledge and medicine are better off

today then they would have been had he not made his experiments.

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