Giuseppe Bastianelli

Who was Giuseppe Bastianelli?

Giuseppe Bastianelli was an Italian physician and zoologist who worked on malaria and was the personal physician of Pope Benedict XV.

Born in Rome, Bastianelli was initially interested in chemistry, physiology and neurology; subsequently he became interested in the study of malaria. He worked in the "Santo Spirito a Roma" hospital with Ettore Marchiafava, Angelo Celli and Amico Bignami, studying the clinical aspects of this disease. He then moved to the Sapienza University of Rome where he directed l'Istituto di Malariologia, the Institute of Malarial studies dedicated to Ettore Marchiafava, where he worked until he died. The institute was a major contributor to the campaign that led to the complete eradication of malaria in Italy.