Giovanni Battista Grassi

Giovanni Battista Grassi (1854 Rovellasca -1925, Rome) was an Italian zoologist, known for work demonstrating that mosquitos carry the malaria plasmodium in their digestive tract, on the embryological development of honey bees, on parasites, particularly the vine parasite phylloxera, migrations and metamorphosis in eels, and on termites.

Biography

Battista Grassi graduated in Medicine from the University of Pavia under professors Camillo Golgi and Giulio Bizzozero Giulio Bizzazzero. After graduation he worked on parasitic worms of medical importance especially the hookworm.in the Department of Comparative Anatomy at Sapienza University in Rome.

From 1878 Grassi worked first at Messina in the Oceanographic Station founded by Nicolaus Kleinenberg and Anton Dohrn where he studied Chaetognatha then at Heidelberg with Karl Gegenbaur and Otto Bütschli.In Heidelberg Grassi married Maria Koenen.

In 1883 he became Professor of Comparative Zoology at the University of Catania, studying cestodes, the life cycle of the European eel (Catania) and the Moray eel (Rome). Also in Catania he began to study entomology and wrote a student text "The Origin and Descent of Myriapods and Insects" in addition to scientific papers. He also began to studyMalaria working with Raimondo Feletti on malaria, especially bird malaria.

In 1895 Grassi joined Angelo Celli, Amico Bignami, Giuseppe Bastianelli and Ettore Marchiafava a group working on malaria in districts around Rome as the group’s entomologist. he identified Anopheles claviger as being responsible for the spread of malaria in man. Between 1900 and 1902, Grassi, Gustavo Pittaluga and Giovanni Noè made intensive sudies of malaria at Agro Portuense, at Fiumicino, on the Tiber, and on the plain of Capaccio, near Paestum.

In 1902, Grassi abandoned his study of malaria and began work on the sandfly responsible for Leishmaniasis ("Phlebotomus papatasii") and on a serious insect pest of the grape vine ( "Phylloxera vastatrix )". Endemic malaria returned to Italy during and after the First World War and Grassi resumed his mosquito studies and was working on them when he died.

Works

Partial list

* 1898. Rapporti tra la malaria e peculiari insetti (zanzaroni e zanzare palustri). "R. C. Accad. Lincei" 7:163-177.
* 1899. Ancora sulla malaria. "R. C. Accad. Lincei" 8:559-561.
*with Bignami,A. and Bastianelli, G.. 1899. Resoconto degli studi fatti sulla malaria durante il mese di gennaio. "R. C. Accad. Lincei". 8:100-104.
* 1901. Studii di uno Zoologo sulla Malaria."Atti dei.Linncei.Mem. Cl.sc.fis.ecc".3(5),No. 91:299-516.6 plates in colour.

Recognition

He won the Royal Society's Darwin Medal in 1896.

He was made a senator in Italy. [de Kruif, Paul "Microbe Hunters" 1956 ed. Pocket Books. pg 291.]

A stamp commemorating Grassi and with his portrait was issued by the Italian post office in 1955. [ [http://www.bugsonstamps.com/italy/italy_03_mosq.htm Italy - Grassi - Mosquito ] at www.bugsonstamps.com]

References

*Conci, C. & Poggi, R. 1996 "Iconography of Italian Entomologists, with essential biographical data". Mem. Soc. Ent. Ital. 75 159-382, 418 Fig.
*Howard, L. O. 1930 "History of applied Entomology (Somewhat Anecdotal)". Smiths. Miscell. Coll. 84 X+1-564, 51 plates
*Roncalli, Amici R.The history of Italian parasitology."Vet. Parasitol. 98(1-3): 3-30.

External links

* [http://www.scienzemfn.uniroma1.it/bau/MUSEI/anacomp/grassi/GBGEng. Biography of Grassi] in English.
* [http://dipbau.bio.uniroma1.it/web/Musei/MuseoAC/GrassiZoologo.htm_cvt.htm#1. Biography of Grassi] In Italian, English translation sometimes available.
* [http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1139-67092006000100010&lng=pt&nrm=&tlng=en Grassi versus Ross]
* [http://www.cat-science.com/admin/articles/pdfs/060302/1_focus_Battista.pdf Contributions to Science]