Aldo Castellani--an appraisal of his life and oeuvre

Aldo Castellani was one of those pioneers who initiated breath-taking discoveries and progress in medical sciences during the early years of this century with great personal engagement and courage. His striking findings, such as the so-called Absorption-Test, the introduction of multiple vaccination, or the exploration of sleeping sickness and the discovery of Trichophyton rubrum, were achieved before he was even 35 years old. He received acknowledgement as a physician and lecturer. Many of his disciples and coworkers became first rate scientists, owing a lot to his encouraging personality. Castellani's straight forward character endeared him to many famous contemporaries. His uncompromising nationalism for Italy on the other hand arouse astonishment and aversion. His involvement in three wars again and again, rendered scientific researches and work difficult.