Girolamo Fracastoro
Girolamo Fracastoro
Girolamo Fracastoro (pronounced: jee-roh-lah-moh frah-cas-toh-roh) was an Italian physician, poet, and scholar in mathematics, geography and astronomy. He is best known for his theory of contagion, which he proposed in his work De contagione et contagiosis morbis.
Etymology
The name Girolamo is the Italian form of Jerome, derived from the Greek name Hieronymos, meaning "sacred name". Fracastoro is a surname of Italian origin, but its etymology is not well-documented.
Biography
Born in 1478 in Verona, Italy, Fracastoro studied medicine and philosophy at the University of Padua. He later became a professor at the same university, teaching logic, philosophy, and medicine. He was also a member of the medical faculty at the University of Bologna.
Fracastoro is most famous for his work De contagione et contagiosis morbis, published in 1546, in which he proposed that diseases are caused by tiny, invisible particles, or "seeds of disease", that could be transferred from person to person. This theory, known as the germ theory of disease, was a significant advancement in the field of epidemiology.
Related Terms
- Contagion: The communication of disease from one person to another by close contact.
- Epidemiology: The branch of medicine that deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health.
- Germ theory of disease: The theory that microorganisms are the cause of many diseases.
- University of Padua: An Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy.
- University of Bologna: An Italian university located in Bologna, Italy.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Girolamo Fracastoro
- Wikipedia's article - Girolamo Fracastoro
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