Domenico Cotugno

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Domenico Cotugno

Domenico Felice Antonio Cotugno , Latinized Cotunnius, (born January 29, 1736 in Ruvo di Puglia , † October 6, 1822 in Naples ) was an Italian doctor.

Cotugno came from a humble background and had to fight for his education. From 1753 he studied medicine in Naples and obtained his degree in Salerno in 1756 . In 1755 he received a doctorate in philosophy and physics and became an assistant at the Hospital of the Incurables in Naples. In 1761 he became professor of surgery there and also taught anatomy as a professor in Naples. In 1808 he became the personal physician of the King of Naples. In 1814 he stopped teaching. In 1810 he became a corresponding member of the Académie des Sciences . He died after two strokes.

Cotugno visited Rome and northern Italy in 1765 and visited Giovanni Battista Morgagni . In 1789 he traveled to Germany and Austria with the King of Naples Ferdinand IV .

He was classically educated and had a large library.

In 1761, Cotugno discovered the nasopalatal nerve and associated it with the sneezing reflex . In 1761 he published a book on the internal structure of the ear ( De aquaeductibus auris humane internae ), in which he discovered the perilymph and developed a theory of hearing. This was later investigated further by Hermann von Helmholtz (1821–1894). In 1764 he published a monograph on the sciatic nerve ( De ischiade nervosa commentarius 1764). The name Cotugno syndrome was previously used for sciatica . The spinal fluid was after him Liquor Cotunni named, which he described in 1774 (it was previously but of Emanuel Swedenborg discovered) and two anatomical parts of the ear (aqueduct and pillars of Cotunnius).

He studied chickenpox and was intensively involved in the fight against tuberculosis .

A hospital in Naples bears his name. The mineral cotunnite is named in his honor .

Fonts (selection)

  • De aquaeductibus auris humanae internae anatomica dissertatio , Ex Typographia Simoniana, Naples 1761 ( digitized version ).
  • De ischiade nervosa commentarius , Apud Fratres Simonios, Naples 1764 ( digitized version ).
  • De sedibus variolarum syntagma , Apud Fratres Simonios, Naples 1769.
  • Dello spirito della medicina , Nella stamperia Moücke, Florence 1774.
  • Opuscula Medica antehac seorsim ab auctore in lucem edita, nunc primum in duo volumina collecta , 2 volumes, Ex Officina Bibliographica et Typographica, Naples 1826–1827, ( digitized volume 1 , digitized volume 2 ).
  • Opera posthuma , 4 volumes, Typis Tramater, Naples 1830–1832.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ List of members since 1666: Letter C. Académie des sciences, accessed on November 2, 2019 (French).
personal data
SURNAME Cotugno, Domenico
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cotugno, Domenico Felice Antonio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian doctor
DATE OF BIRTH January 29, 1736
PLACE OF BIRTH Ruvo di Puglia
DATE OF DEATH October 6, 1822
Place of death Naples