Morgagni, Giovanni Battista, << mawr GAH nyee, jaw VAHN nee baht TEES tah >> (1682-1771), an Italian anatomist and pathologist, became known as “the father of pathological anatomy.” He discovered and described many diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Morgagni’s book, On the Seats and Causes of Diseases (1761), became a landmark in the history of pathology (see Pathology ). Morgagni believed that disease results from a breakdown in tissues and organs, producing abnormal changes that can be seen during an autopsy.
Morgagni graduated from the University of Bologna. He became a professor of theoretical medicine at the University of Padua in 1712. He was appointed as the first professor of anatomy in 1715. Morgagni was born in Forli, Italy.
