Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
duct of Bel·li·ni Pronunciation:
-be-'lE-nE Function:
noun : any of the large excretory ducts of the uriniferous tubules of thekidney that open on the free surface of the papillae
Bellini, Lorenzo (1643–1704), Italian anatomist and physiologist. Bellini is important as one of the founders ofItalian iatrophysics. He pioneered in the use of physical laws to explain the function of the human body. For three decades he served as professor of theoretical medicine and then of anatomy at theUniversity of Pisa, Italy. In his later years he became first physician to the duke of Tuscany. In 1662 he published his first paper, an important study of the structure and function of the kidneys.Rejecting Galen's characterization of the kidneys as a mass of undifferentiated material, he uncovered a complicated structure composed of fibers, open spaces, and densely packed tubules. In his paperhe described the renal excretory ducts that are now associated with his name. In 1665, in another classic essay, he recognized the papillae of the tongue as the organs of taste. Bellini was also amongthe first to recognize the value of urinalysis as an aid to diagnosis.
