Corrado Tommasi-Crudeli

The Silver Medal of Military Valour awarded to Corrado Tommasi-Crudeli recognized his service as an army physician during the Second and Third Italian Wars of Independence. Wounded at Milazzo and Messina, he transitioned from a battlefield surgeon under Giuseppe Garibaldi to a central figure in Italian pathology and public health reform throughout the late nineteenth century.

Military Service and Medical Training

Born in Pieve Santo Stefano in 1834, Tommasi-Crudeli earned his laurea at the University of Pisa. His pursuit of pathology took him abroad to France and Germany, where he studied under Rudolf Virchow at the University of Berlin. His clinical training was interrupted in 1859 by the Second Italian War of Independence. He enlisted as a lieutenant doctor with the Hunters of the Apennines. By 1866, his performance in the Third Italian War of Independence resulted in his appointment as an Honorary Major of the 77th infantry.

Public Health and Institutional Development

In 1866, the government tasked him with managing a cholera outbreak in Palermo. This success shaped his subsequent career in health administration. He held chairs at the University of Palermo and later the Sapienza University of Rome. He founded the Institute of Pathophysiology of the Holy Spirit in 1871 and the Institute for Experimental Hygiene in Rome in 1883, which occupied a dedicated building at Viminale Square. His administrative roles extended to the Higher Council of Education, where he served multiple terms between 1871 and 1900.

Bacteriological Research and Controversies

Working alongside Edwin Klebs, he investigated the bacterial origins of infectious diseases. The pair successfully identified bacterial causes for diphtheria and typhoid fever. However, their research into malaria led to the identification of a rod-shaped bacterium they termed Bacillus malariae. They proposed that the pathogen resided in damp soil and was transmitted through air or water. While their work initially gained support, George Miller Sternberg challenged these findings in 1881, and the theory was later disproven by the discovery of the mosquito-malaria transmission cycle.

Political Life and Professional Recognition

Beyond medicine, he participated in the legislative governance of the Kingdom of Italy. He served several terms in the Chamber of Deputies between 1874 and 1892 before his appointment as a senator. He was an active member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and served as the Director of The Courier Sicilian. He was married twice, first to Bianca Fortini and later to Sophia Ingham-Whitaker. He held his academic post as Professor Emeritus until his death in Rome in 1900.

Fast facts

• Born: 1834, Pieve Santo Stefano
• Died: 1900, Rome
• Education: University of Pisa
• Military Rank: Major
• Key Discovery: Bacterial cause of typhoid and diphtheria
• Academic Posts: Sapienza University of Rome, University of Pavia
• Political Roles: Senator, Member of the Chamber of Deputies
• Honours: Silver Medal of Military Valour, Knight of the Order of Savoy Civil

Questions readers ask

Did Tommasi-Crudeli correctly identify the cause of malaria?

No. He and Edwin Klebs proposed the Bacillus malariae theory, which was later proven incorrect when the mosquito transmission cycle was demonstrated.

What major hospitals did he establish?

He founded several institutions, including the Hospital of Alcamo, Villa Sofia, the Institute of Pathophysiology of the Holy Spirit, and the Institute of Experimental Hygiene.

Achievements

• Held posts at Sapienza University of Rome and University of Pavia
• Fields: medicine