Francisco Redi: February 18, 1626-March 1, 1697
Francesco Redi was an Italian Physician and Poet who assisted in paving the way to disproving the theory of spontaneous generation through various experiments in the 17th century. He conducted one of the first examples of a modern experiment using controls.
Beginnings
Francesco Redi was the eldest son of Gregorio de' Ghinci, an important physician. His father was in fact, the First Physician of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Following in his father's path, Franscesco studied in Florence at Jesuit schools and earned a degree in medicine in Pisa in the year 1647. After traveling to places such as Venice, Rome, Bologna and Naples, he began his life as a physician.
Francesco was a member of the Accademia del Cimento (Academy of the Experiment) for ten years from 1657 to 1667.
In 1666 Francesco was appointed as Grand Duke Ferdinando the second's First Physician and Director of the Grand-Ducal "Spezieria" (Pharmacy).
Francesco was a member of the Accademia del Cimento (Academy of the Experiment) for ten years from 1657 to 1667.
In 1666 Francesco was appointed as Grand Duke Ferdinando the second's First Physician and Director of the Grand-Ducal "Spezieria" (Pharmacy).
Work on Spontaneous Generation
Francesco was in disagreement with the common belief that maggots appeared with cause in rotting meat. He was convinced that maggots came from eggs laid by flies in the meat. He set out to prove this with his next experiment. The experiment consisted of placing several jars with meat in each one out in open air for some, sealed for some with gauze, and the others sealed completely.
The first jar was found to have maggots in the flesh of the meat. The jar had been left open to the air and to the flies who laid their eggs on the meat. On the second jar, flies had actually laid eggs on the gauze/netting of the jar. The third jar, which had been completely sealed had no maggots growing on the meat, and there were no eggs on the cover.
Despite his experiment with the maggots, Francesco still held onto the belief like many others at the time that Spontaneous Generation did occur under certain circumstances. Apparently, the invention of the microscope and in turn microscopy, showed a whole new set of organisms that also seemed to appear spontaneously with seemingly no cause.
Francesco did what he set out to do, to prove that maggots didn't randomly begin appearing in rotting meat because it was rotting. This was not the shining proof of the illegitimacy of the theory, but it paved the way for future scientists and their experiments concerning the theory such as Louis Pasteur and Lazzaro Spallanzani.
Despite his experiment with the maggots, Francesco still held onto the belief like many others at the time that Spontaneous Generation did occur under certain circumstances. Apparently, the invention of the microscope and in turn microscopy, showed a whole new set of organisms that also seemed to appear spontaneously with seemingly no cause.
Francesco did what he set out to do, to prove that maggots didn't randomly begin appearing in rotting meat because it was rotting. This was not the shining proof of the illegitimacy of the theory, but it paved the way for future scientists and their experiments concerning the theory such as Louis Pasteur and Lazzaro Spallanzani.