Marcello Malpighi
Malpighi, Marcello (1628-1694), an Italian physician. In 1661 he discovered capillaries, the tiny blood vessels that connect veins and arteries. This discovery helped complete man's knowledge of the circulation of the blood, since William Harvey had earlier shown how blood flows in the veins and arteries. Malpighi made microscopic studies of organs of the body and of plant cells. He received a medical degree from the University of Bologna in 1653, and was a professor there, 1660-62 and 1666-91. Malpighi then was private physician to Pope Innocent XII, 1691-94.