Giovanni Canestrini

Who was Giovanni Canestrini?

Giovanni Canestrini was an Italian naturalist and biologist who was a native of Revò.

He initially studied in Gorizia and Meran, then furthered his education in natural sciences at the University of Vienna. From 1862 to 1869, he was a lecturer at the University of Modena, and in 1869 became a professor of zoology and comparative anatomy at the University of Padua.

In 1862 he founded the Società dei Naturalisti Modenesi, and in 1871, the Società Veneto-Trentina di Scienze Naturali. He is credited with establishment of the bacteriology laboratory at Padua.

Canestrini made contributions in several biological disciplines, performing important research in the field of acarology. He was an advocate of Darwinism, and was responsible for translating Darwin's works into Italian. Through these translations, Canestrini was a principal factor concerning the popularity of Darwinism in 19th century Italy. During his career he was the author of almost 200 scientific publications.