Gaspare Aselli (1581-1625) and Lacteis Venis: Four Centuries From the Discovery of Lymphatic System

The first half of the seventeenth century may be seen as the turning point of knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, as also demonstrated by the works by William Harvey (1578-1657) on the circulation of the blood. This article aims to present biographic context of the surgeon Gaspare Aselli (1581-1625) and his rather fortuitous discovery of the lacteals in Milan in 1622, that contributed to the comprehension of the lymphatic system. The experimentation on living animals (anatomia animata, living anatomy), and particularly the vivisection used by Gaspare Aselli provided the basis for much of the subsequent investigation of the human physiology. In particular, the discovery of lymphatics challenged the basis of the Galenic doctrine, denying the liver the central role it had formerly been granted in transforming food into blood and revolutionized the ancient hepatocentrism in favor of the modern concept of cardiocentrism.