Aldrovandi, Ulisse (Ulysse, Ulysses)

Ulisse Aldrovandi was born in Bologna, Italy, in 1522. He studied law in Bologna, and then philosophy and medicine in Padua and Rome, earning a doctorate in medicine in 1552. In 1560, he was appointed professor in Bologna, a position that he held for 40 years. He lectured mainly on pharmacology, but he collected natural history objects and employed artists to draw them. He published four large volumes during his lifetime, but his friends and pupils used his voluminous manuscripts to publish 10 more volumes after his death.

His (1602) “De animalibus insectis libri VII” was the first book to be published on insects, although the “insects” included various other kinds of invertebrates. A chapter was devoted to the structure of the insect body. Insect reproduction and metamorphosis were described; respiration and the senses of touch, taste, and smell are discussed, and the life of honey bees is described. He died in 1605.

Aldrovandi, Ulisse