Salvatore Calandruccio, Sicilian parasitologist: a story we never wanted to tell.

Abstract

Salvatore Calandruccio was born on Christmas Day 1858 in Taormina to a family of humble origins. The family's financial straits did not allow him to continue his studies and so he decided to work as a teacher. For ten years, he worked in this profession; however, the flame of knowledge that burned within him had not dimmed in the slightest and so he decided to continue his studies and first took a degree in Medicine (1888) and then one in Natural Sciences (1891) at the Royal University of Catania. He conducted studies with Giovanni Battista Grassi that were relevant to the progress of parasitology. Grassi published under his own name the results of joint research carried out on the relationship between malaria and mosquitoes, for which he received awards including the Darwin Medal in 1896. Salvatore Calandruccio's contribution, who appealed against the non-recognition, was only recognised after his death from nephritis, contracted while conducting sampling for the study on Murenoids.

Keywords

• parasitologist, diatribe, forgotten scientists