1581-1625

Italian physician who investigated the anatomy of the digestive system. As a professor of anatomy at Pavia, he cut open a recently fed dog and noted white structures though the mesentery and along the surface of the intestines that emitted a milky fluid when cut. He called these structures white veins or lacteals. Observing these in different species, he explored the function of the digestive juices. His investigations opened up the field of exploration of the digestive system, paving the way for others to overthrow Galen's liver-centered physiology.