Agostino Bassi

Agostino Bassi

Agostino Bassi de Lodi (1773 - 1856) Italian entomologist, who preceded Louis Pasteur in propounding that diseases can be caused by minute living organisms. He made this assertion from his observations of the muscardine disease (mal de segno) of the silkworm, which is caused by a parasitic fungus. He was related to the famous biologist Spallanzani, and the physicist Laura Bassi, who is famous for being the first woman teacher in Europe. His discovery of the cause of muscardine disease and methods for control were responsible for rescuing the silkworm industry in Europe which was almost abandoned due to the ravages of the disease. Bassi won instant recognition and fame for this particular work. Louis Pasteur was much influenced by his work, and had his portrait hung in his office.