Giambattista Messedaglia (1810-1845) : The History and Literary Legacy of a Petrifier

Abstract

This study reconstructs the biography and restores the scientific and literary significance of Giambattista Messedaglia (1810–1845), an anatomist from Verona known for his ability to petrify human and animal tissues. Through the analysis of archival and literary sources, the article explores how Messedaglia, inspired by the work of Girolamo Segato, developed an innovative method for preserving tissues, which he presented to the scientific community of Verona. Despite partial recognition of his work, Messedaglia’s technique did not achieve the desired success due to the lack of publicly available technical details and his untimely death. The article also examines Messedaglia's influence on contemporary literature, highlighting how poets and writers interpreted petrification as a triumph of human ingenuity over death. Finally, the study discusses the cultural significance of petrification within the context of the 19th century, emphasizing the different literary and scientific interpretations of this practice.   Keywords: Petrifiers - Medical literature - Anatomical preparations - Medical museology