Leonardo da Vinci e la scoperta della Circolazione del Sangue

Leonardo and the discovery of blood circulation. The discovery of blood circulation has a long and troubled history, with many obstacles and even setbacks caused by the difficulty of communication between different civilizations and religions, the prohibition of human dissection and the dogmatic imposition by the Church of Galeno’s concepts for a thousand years. Leonardo da Vinci’s surprising insights on heart and vessels, expressed in his anatomical drawings, are in contrast with the view of Galeno, which nevertheless he did not refuse. The merit of Leonardo was rather to be the initiator of the modern scientific experimental method, superior to the established doctrines. Furthermore Leonardo inspired Anatomo-Phisiologic Italian School in the University of Padua during the Renaissance, which first in Europe gave explanation of blood circulation. The discovery was then transmitted all over the world by clear mathematical proof of William Harvey, who has led in Padua his medical studies.