146 THE MINUTE ANATOMISTS 



I 



the disposition of a small family estate, and soon became 

 involved in a boundary dispute, which was never to be 

 settled during his lifetime, and caused him great trouble. 

 These matters occupied him for two years, after which 

 he returned to the university as a student of medicine 

 under Massari. Massari was not content with lecturing, 

 but gathered about him a little company of junior pro- 

 fessors and students for the prosecution of research. 

 Malpighi was one of the number, and soon rose from the 

 position of pupil to that of associate and friend. He 

 married Massari's sister, and not long afterwards became 

 professor of medicine. The opposition of unprogressive 

 teachers made his position at Bologna uncomfortable, 

 and in 1656 he was glad to remove to Pisa, where the 

 Grand Duke of Tuscany had set up a new university on 

 a liberal scale. Here Malpighi became acquainted with 

 Borelli, who was appointed professor of mathematics in 

 Pisa at the same time. Borelli was able to apply his 

 physics to certain physiological problems, with great 

 advantage to Malpighi and other students. His treatise 

 on Animal Mechanics is still full of instruction ; he is 

 also honourably known in the history of mathematics as 

 the discoverer of the Arabic MS. of Apollonius. Borelli 

 and Malpighi learned much from one another, and during 

 their residence in the same city kept up an intimacy, 

 which was unfortunately impaired at a later time by 

 scientific differences. It is related that during one of 

 Malpighi's lectures the views put forth offended the 

 audience to such a point that one after another with- 

 drew until only Borelli was left. Three years' residence 

 in the damp valley of the Arno affected Malpighi's 

 health, which was always delicate, and obliged him to 

 return to the hill-country. In 1662 he was invited to 

 fill the professorship of medicine at Messina, and there 



