Antonio Pacchioni

Pacchioni studied medicine at the university of his native city, Reggio Emilia , obtaining his degree on April 25, 1688. The next year he moved to Rome to devote himself to anatomy in particular; he spent his most productive years in Rome. He was a friend and student of Marcello Malpighi (1628–1694), who lived in Rome from 1691 to 1694. First attending the Santo Spirito in Sassia Hospital, he was an assistant physician at the Ospedale della Conzolazione from May 26, 1690 to June 3, 1693, and then remained for six years in Tivoli as the town doctor. In 1699 Pacchioni returned to Rome and established a successful medical practice. He later became head physician at the Hospital of San Giovanni in Laterano and then at the Ospedale della Consolazione. In Rome, he made the acquaintance of the clinician and botanist Giovanni Maria Lancisi (1654–1720), with whom he collaborated in the publication of the anatomical plates of Eustachius in 1714. Pacchioni's most important works particularly concerned the anatomy and function of the dura mater. His first dissertation on this dates from 1701 on, the most important being Dissertatio epistolaris de glandulis ... (1705) in which he described the arachnoidal granulations that are named after him. ==Career and life==

Pacchioni was a "short man, with oblong face, vivid eye and a rather melancholic temperament" Following the customs of his time, he initially studied philosophy and only later turned to medicine, demonstrating a natural talent for anatomical dissection. He worked under the guidance of Antonio Vallisneri (1661–1730), Professor of Medicine at the University of Padova and member of the Royal Society of London (Vallisneri is also credited with the first description of the anatomical features of Stein Leventhal syndrome). After moving to Rome, he first attended the Ospedaledi S. Spirito in Sassia and then successfully applied for a position as assistant physician at the Ospedale della Consolazione (May 26, 1690), well known at that time for emergency medicine. As stated by Pacchioni himself, this early experience involved the frequent management of head injuries, which aroused his particular interest in brain coverings. Thanks to Malpighi's support, in July, 1693, Pacchioni became the town doctor in Tivoli, quickly gaining popular esteem and approval. Here he spent 6 years under the patronage of the Duke of Modena at the Villa d'Este. Upon his return to Rome, he published in 1701 his first observations on the structure and function of dura mater: De Dura Meninge Fabrica et Usu Disquisitio Analomica. ==Final years==

Precarious health forced Pacchioni to accept the less demanding charge of head physician at his favorite Ospedale della Consolazione, where he worked until retirement. He was struck by an undetermined disease of the central nervous system (perhaps a tumor or intracranial hematoma) that caused seizures, a right hemiparesis, and progressive mental deterioration. He was attended to by his most trusted colleagues and his old master Vallisneri. Pacchioni died in Rome at 62 years of age. ==Thoughts and works==

Despite his extreme versatility, Pacchioni is best known as an anatomist and a skilled dissector. He made significant contributions to the elucidation of the structure and function of dura mater, investigating its fine structure. Following Malpighi's teachings, he made use of the microscope, an advanced technology of his time, and systematically treated the anatomical specimens by original techniques of maceration into "... strong, sour, salted, sweet, and oily fluids .... ". For example, in the Dissertatio Epistotaris..., Pacchioni pointed out how arachnoid villi swell "... to the size of a millet seed... " after dura is "...soaked for a month first into plain water and then into vinegar..." (recommending frequent renewal of the bath in order to avoid smell!) ==Works==

(Books are kept at exclusive libraries such as the Harvard Medical Library) • • • • ==Bibliography==