Santorio Santorio | |
---|---|
Born |
Capodistria, Republic of Venice |
March 29, 1561
Died | February 22, 1636 Venice |
(aged 74)
Santorio Santorio (29 March 1561 – 22 February 1636), also called Sanctorio Sanctorio, Santorio Santorii, Sanctorius of Padua, Sanctorio Sanctorius and various combinations of these names, was a Venetian physiologist, physician, and professor, who introduced the quantitative approach into medicine. He is also known as the inventor of several medical devices, including the thermometer. His work De Statica Medicina, written in 1614, saw many publications through 1784 and influenced generations of physicians.
Santorio was born in the Mediterranean coastal town of Capodistria (today Koper, southwestern Slovenia, then part of the Republic of Venice). From 1611 to 1624 he was a professor at Padua where he performed experiments in temperature, respiration and weight. He died in Venice.
Santorio was the first to use a wind gauge, a water current meter, the pulsilogium (a device used to measure the pulse rate), an early waterbed, and a thermoscope. Whereas he invented the former two devices, it is unclear exactly who invented the latter two; it could be his friend Galileo Galilei or another person of the learned circle in Venice of which they were members.
He also invented a device which he called the "trocar" (not identical to the modern trocar) for removing bladder stones.