231 Biographical Sketch of Anthony Scarpa, 



School. Happy are they who have run a long career so useful 

 to humanity, — who die full of days, — whose death is bewailed, 

 and who are surrounded with friends who close their eyes ! 



Scarpa was born at the commencement of the year 1748, at 

 La Motta, a little village of Friouli, of worthy but poor and 

 obscure parents. An uncle, rector of the village, who doubt- 

 less had a presentiment of the reputation of his illustrious ne- 

 phew, sent him to Padua, where he defrayed the expenses of 

 his education. It was not long before he had reason to congra- 

 tulate himself on his foresight. Young Scarpa soon shewed what 

 he would become one day, by the immense and rapid progress 

 which he made in his studies. A great man could not find himself 

 incessantly opposite another distinguished individual without say- 

 ing to himself, " ed io anche^ io son pittore,'''' Scarpa at first had 

 Morgagni as a master, who was not tardy in discovering in his 

 pupil, all the genius of his future eminence ; he soon made him 

 his friend and fellow-labourer. At this age, Scarpa refreshed 

 himself from his labours by devoting himself to Hterature ; 

 during the long soirees of the carnival, which he spent in the 

 society of Morgagni, they enlivened their scientific conversa- 

 tions by reading the comedies of Plautus in a loud voice. 



The Duke of Modena having occasion for an anatomical 

 dissector for his University, apphed to Morgagni to fill up this 

 chair. The latter having solely in view the advancement of 

 science, and forgetting his interest and his affection, proposed 

 his favourite pupil, who was gratefully received. Scarpa quitted 

 Padua for Modena, when he was twenty-two or twenty-three years 

 old, and gave his first lessons in anatomy in 1772. It was there 

 that he composed and dedicated his first work on anatomy, to Fran- 

 cis III., his Maecenas, under the title of De structurd fenestra 

 auriset de tympano secundario, anatomicce observationes ; Mu- 

 tinae 1772, in 8vo. 



During the same season, the Grand Duke conferred on him 

 the situation of chief surgeon to the hospital of Modena. The 

 more his occupations multiplied, the more time he found to do 

 them all. Notv/ithstanding his anatomical lessons, the increase 

 of his medical practice, the daily attention which the hospital 

 required, he found time for anatomical researches, for preserving 



