The Medical Parasitology institute of Messina

The "Istituto di Parassitologia Medica" of the University Messina can be found in Via Cesare Battisti, 48.

The Institute of Medical parasitology in Messina was the first institute of its kind in Italy. It was set up in the early 1960s, thanks to the work of Professor Luigi Magaudda-Borzì who organized it, creating a team of teaching and non-teaching staff and a rich collection of scientific and teaching material. It was provided with a well-stocked library, which was further expanded in 1976, the same year in which the subject became an important reference point for the students (who were attending lessons and sustaining specialization exams in the classrooms of the institute) and for a large number of researchers all over Italy (when Professor Magaudda-Borzì became the editor of the Journal for Medical Parasitology, a journal which has always published articles by authors of national and international importance). In the year 2000, the Institute of Medical Parasitology was transferred to the Torre Biologica at the Policlinico, the university teaching hospital in Messina.
The first news we have of Medical Parasitology as a subject at the university of Messina dates back to 1902-1903, thanks to Professor Francesco San Felice, Professor of Hygiene, who decided to dedicate considerable space to the teaching of this subject (within an official teaching programme). He was already famous for his pathology-based theories on parasitic tumours and he remained in Messina until 1914-15 leaving his mark on the subject of Medical Parasitology. After the war, his place was occupied by Guido Volpino, who concentrated on Parasitology during his teaching courses Hygiene and General Pathology; he was followed, in the year 1947- 1948 by Augusto Bruni, his assistant, who was responsible for teaching the subject during the academic year 1948-49 and thereafter, by Professor Renzo Vendramini who taught in Messina until 1955-56. It was only after the Second World War, that Medical Parasitology began to have its own didactic “corpus” eventually becoming a separate subject in 1959-60. In May of the same year, the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery gave Professor Luigi Magaudda- Borzì the task of teaching the subject, which he maintained until 1964, when he became director of the Medical Parasitology Institute, which he founded: it was the first institute of Medical Parasitology in Italy. In 1980, Professor Antonino Ioli created the school of specialization in Medical Parasitology, the only school in Italy and in Europe. In 1981 he created the National Association of Medical Parasitology.

THE INSTITUTE

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The building, situated in Cesare Battisti street, where the Institute of Medical Parasitology of the University of Messina was located.

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The entrance hall of the building, from which there was access to the Medical Parasitology Institute in Messina. During the last few years it has been transferred to the Torre Biologica within the University Policlinico hospital in Messina.

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Staircase and entrance door of the medical parasitology institute of Messina university situated in Cesare Battisti street.

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A study-room in the Medical Parasitology Institute director of Messina university.

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One of the laboratories in the Medical Parasitology Institute in Messina, where we can clearly see many desks with different optical microscopes.

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Another laboratory in which there are two wooden desks, a fridge, a centrifuge and two incubation chambers. On the right, at the top, there is a portrait of the first Director of the Institute, Professor L. Magaudda-Borzì.

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A laboratory in which there is a set of scales, a distillation mechanism, two small sterilizers and some glass cabinets where we can see a series of small objects and equipment as well as chemical products used in the past.

  • Photos by Ruben La Malfa ti.liamtoh|29-ottenibur#| (December 2012) courtesy of "Istituto di Parassitologia Medica di Messina" and Professor Antonino Ioli

Bibliography

  • Faraone U. "L'insegnamento di parassitologia medica nell'Università di Messina".
  • Ioli A. "Storia naturale delle geoelmintiasi: Dal riconoscimento di malattie sociali all'ipotesi di una loro associazione a neoplasie".
  • Magaudda- Borzì L. "La infestazione da Ancylostoma duodenale nel comune di Milazzo", 1955.
  • Magaudda P.L., Pennisi L., Mento G., Abate A. "La diffusione delle più comuni parassitosi intestinali in Italia dal 1933 al 1963. Indagine statistico-bibliografica con particolare riguardo all'anchilostomiasi" Atti Soc. Peloritana Sc. Fis. Mat. 1964.
  • Rivista di Parassitologia - Università di Messina - Istituto di Parassitologia Medica - VOL XXII n°3, 2005.


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