Paolo Mascagni

Itinerary edited by UNIVERSITÀ OF SIENA

Biography

Paolo Mascagni (1755. 1815) owes his fame to his studies on  the highlights of lymphatic vases in the human body.

He is therefore remembered for his fundame ntal actions in the anatomical field but also for his specific didactic methods and high quality materials for the teaching and study of Anatomy.

Graduated in Medicine in 1778 at the University of Siena, Mascagni became in the same year the assistant of Prof Pietro Tabarrani, a scientist  who was passionately interested in  normal and pathological human Anatomy.

Already before graduating, on invitation of Tabarrani, Mascagni began studying the lymphatic vases, succeeding in underlining through Mercury injections,its evolution, organization,its functions and  alterations. This study was published in 1787 and entitled "Vasorum lymphaticorum historia et ichnographia".

Immediately after the publication of the lymphatic system book, Mascagni began another huge work called the 'Great Anatomy', studying the whole structure of the human body, illustrated by life-sized cards, in order to create an accurate didactic tool for the benefit of medical students and for those that didn't have the possibility to directly study on human corpses.

Unfortunately,due to his sudden death, the Great Anatomy and the Anatomy for the  use of sculptors and painters scholars  were published posthumously.

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Timeline

 1755 Paolo Mascagni is born in Pomarance (Pisa) 
 1772 he registers in the medical faculty of the University of Siena
 9^th May 1778 si laurea in Filosofia e Medicina e il successivo 9 luglio viene nominato assistente del maestro
 4^th April 1779 he is appointed assistant of the Anatomy Professor at University of Siena 
 1782–1799 Paolo Mascagni becomes President of  the Chair of Anatomy in the Siena Atheneum 
 1787 he publishes Vasorum lymphaticorum corporis humani historia et ichnographia
 1798 he is  named President of the Academy of the Fisiocritici of Siena
 1799 he is arrested with the accusation of "ungodly acts" and Jacobinism
 4^th February 1800 fully acquitted, he then moves to  Florence
 1801 he is appointed Professor of Anatomy at Pisa Atheneum with the obligation to also hold anatomy, physiology and chemistry lessons in the Arcispedale of Santa Maria Nuova in Florence
 1801 he goes back to his research studies in order to achieve " the Anatomy Universa", an ambitious project to represent life-size all  parts of the human body
 1807 he also teaches pictorial Anatomy at the Academy of Belle Arti in Florence
 1815 he suddenly dies without being able to complete the two atlases on the human body
 1816 both his brother and nephew financed the publication in Florence of Anatomia per uso degli studiosi di scultura e pittura
 1823-1831 the complete edition of the Anatomy Universa is published in Pisa

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Cities where he lived and worked

Castelletto Mascagni  Siena  Florence 

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