Antonio Maria Valsalva

Antonio Maria Valsalva ( born June 17, 1666 Imola, † February 2nd 1723 in Bologna ) was an Italian anatomist and surgeon.

Family

Valsalva was born as the son of coming from respected family goldsmith Pompeo Valsalva and his wife Caterina Tosi, he was one of eight children. At 43, he married on April 22, 1709 Elena Lisi, the 17- year-old daughter of a noble Bolognese senatorial family. They had six children together, three of whom died early.

Education and work

Taught by the Jesuits in philosophy, mathematics and natural science, he developed a particular interest in the morphology of animals and entomology. In Bologna, where he enrolled at the University of Medicine and Philosophy, sat Valsalva his studies in botany at Lelio Trionfetti in mathematics and philosophy, at Pietro Mengoli in medicine, with Paolo Salani and Gian Galeazzo at Manzi in the field of surgery continues.

Valsalva can be viewed as a pendant Galilean beliefs, mainly due to the influence of his teacher Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694), the founder of microscopic anatomy, Giovanni Alfonso Borelli and, physiologist and physicist, declined. Valsalva was in Bologna Malpighi's favorite student.

In 1687, he became a doctor of medicine and philosophy doctorate ( registration on the role doctors of Bologna ). With Santi, Beccari, Guglielmini, Giacomo Beccari and Albertini himself Valsalva met to joint scientific studies and discussions in the House of Eustachio Manfredi. The group constituted itself as the Accademia degli Inquieti to fight the remnants of the scholastic philosophy.

Due to his achievements he was called Valsalva in 1697 to the chair of anatomy. 1705 Valsalva was appointed anatomical teacher and demonstrator, in this capacity he remained until his death.

Performance

Valsalva was an outstanding teacher and research scientist, as a doctor, he worked successfully for 25 years, mainly in surgery of the Bolognese Santa Orsola Hospital, spent a lot of time in the anatomical theater.

His medical work focuses on the anatomical study of diseases and countless observations, an accurate clinical and pathological- anatomical case report. Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682-1771) was since 1698 students Valsalva, also helped him in his famous treatise on the organ of hearing in 1704 and supported him as an employee in public dissections and demonstrations.

As an anatomist Valsalva described the aortic sinus, the taenia of the colon and the roots and connections of the vagus nerve. As a surgeon, he realized the importance of nephrectomy and splenectomy, moreover, he worked opthalmologically, rhino logical and vascular and tumor surgically.

Valsalva also called for a humane treatment of the mentally ill and also acted even after that. He looked like Vincenzo Chiarugis and Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) mental illness analogous to organic disease, with appropriate treatment guidelines.

Valsalva was determined together with Vittorio Stancari of the Academy of Bologna to censor the first volume of Morgagnis Adversaria Anatomica.

Valsalva over the ear

His major work on the human auditory organ in 1704 contains a detailed anatomical comment and excellent illustrations of the parts of the ear. In two parts, each with three chapters he acted from the anatomy and physiology of the ear. He shared the ear into three parts (outer, middle, inner ear), first described the outer ear muscles (after a wax model ) and the course of the external auditory canal. In the middle ear he put the hammer and the eustachian tube is ( Eustachian tube, after Bartolomeo Eustachio, 1520-1574 ). Whose cartilaginous, membranous and bony elements he identified as well as the muscles of the middle ear He described the pharyngeal muscles and the function of the muscle fascia of the eustachian tube. He took the concept of the unity of otorhinopharyngealen ( morphological ) Pathology anticipated. He used the first time the term labyrinth, but for the entire inner ear, he had also observed the endolymph. Valsalva also understood the function of the eardrum, the auditory tube and the sebaceous glands, but said the tympanic cavity no special significance. As a principal organ of hearing, he looked at the semi circular canals, the cochlea and the last ends of the auditory nerve. The noise transfer function of the lamina cochleae remained until the early 19th century unknown.

Valsalva eponyms

  • Valsalva maneuver: Press pressure test for the evaluation of cardiac function ( Valsalva maneuver ).
  • Valsalva antrum: largest mastoid site ( antrum ), which connects the pneumatic system of the mastoid process to the tympanic cavity through the aditus ad antrum.
  • Valsalva - fold: anatomical term taenia coli, a band-like formation at Colon, which is formed of three consisting of smooth muscle longitudinal stripes.
  • Valsalva double experiment: maneuver to check the patency of the Eustachian tube: Press trying to print with closure of the mouth and nose by vigorous exhalation.
  • Valsalva dysphagia: dysphagia after dislocation or fracture of the hyoid bone.
  • Valsalva sinus: Sinus aorta, almost intracardiac extension between each of the three semilunar valves and the aortic wall ( bulbus aortae ). In the front ( right ) and left leaving the coronary arteries it is also called coronary sinus.

Works

  • Sulla superiorità delle dottrine sperimentali. 1687
  • De aure humana tractatus, in quo integra ejusdem auris fabrica multis novis Inventis et iconismis illustrata describitur etc.. Bologna 1704 (Utrecht 1717, Leiden 1735, Geneva 1737, Venice in 1740 (edited by Morgagni ), Leiden 1742)
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