Augusto Murri (8 September 1841, Fermo - 11 November 1932, Bologna) was an Italian physician. Appointed to the Chair of Clinical Medicine at the University of Bologna in 1875, he was regarded as one of the most illustrious clinical doctors and innovators of his times (in Pathological Anatomy, Histology, Microbiology and Experimental Physiopathology).
Biography
Augusto Murri was born in Fermo on 8 September 1841. Son of Giovambattista Murri, a magistrate, deputy of the Repubblica Romana, and Teodolinda Polimanti, the mother. At 15 years old, Murri was illiterate as his father was against the education provided by the school of Fermo, as run by Jesuits. Meanwhile, his father was exiled firstly at Corfu then in Genova for political motives. Scolopius father provided for Murri’s education in San Giovannino, near Florence, allowing him to earn a basic educational license in few years.
In the university of Florence he attended the lessons of Carlo Ghinozzi, professor of medical clinics, and then studied physiology with Cesare Studiati, and finally graduated in medical clinics in 1864.
Post-degree, Murri travelled to Germany and Paris and then returned in Italy for some charges.
In 1869 he got married with Giannina Murri (same surname but they were not relatives), daughter of a storekeeper. In 1871 his first child , called Linda, was born, and two years later they had a second child, Tullio.
In 1870 he went to Rome called by Guido Baccelli, who assigned to Murri a chair of medical clinics as assistant. Guido Baccelli remained impressed with Murri’s studies on "The nature of the morbose process of the severe jaundice" published in 1868 on the Florentine magazine Lo sperimentale. Here, Murri confuted Friedrich Theodor von Frerichs' theories relating the disease to a deep change in the properties of the blood fluid, whereas the prevalent opinion was that the illness was originated by a mechanic cause. Murri anticipated the rationalistic method becoming his and of his school distinctive characteristic.
There were differences also between the Italian and the German medicine. The Italian one, represented by Guido Baccelli, Antonio Cardarelli and Augusto Murri, was against the German idea of a diagnosis predominantly focused on laboratory; rather they supported the idea of how much the careful and direct observation of the sick and the necessity of the clinical reasoning are important.
In 1874 he took part, without success, at the contest for the chair of medical clinics of Turin. Two years later, in 1876, Ruggero Bonghi, Minister of the public education, made Murri the director of the medical clinic of the University of Bologna.
Murri’s presence in the university had become a reason for pride, and he became also chancellor for a year (1888 to 1889). His lessons were considered captivating and engaging, comparing him to Giosuè Carducci. He died on 11 November 1932 in Bologna, and his corpse was then brought to Fermo.
Career
Augusto Murri studied in Florence and in Pisa, and then he graduated in Medicine in Camerino, in 1864. After getting his degree, he moved to Paris, where he followed the lectures of Ernest Bazin, Louis Fournier and Armand Trousseau. Other than Paris, he also studied in Berlin and Vienna. Later on he won a scholarship and had the opportunity to go study in Germany, following Ludwig Traube. He also worked as a medical doctor in Fabriano and Civitavecchia. After his first publications, in 1870 he went to Rome, where he was an assistant to Guido Baccelli, who at the time was a professor.
From 1876 to 1916 he was approved as the head of the medical clinic at Bologna University. He moved it from the Azzolini hospital (which was in decay) to the S. Orsola hospital. During those years, he set up a radiological cabinet, an endoscopy cabinet and a chemistry and physics laboratory. During the years he spent in Bologna, he also became the dean of the Alma Mater Studiorum, precisely from 5 October 1888 until the year 1889. Since he wanted to relaunch the university and make it better and better, he formed a Consortium with the province of Bologna and with the town.
He was a member of the Italian Chamber of deputies from 1890 to 1892. He also became a candidate for the Italian Parliament, and he promoted various campaigns against pellagra, tuberculosis, and diphtheria.
In 1905, he went back, at the continuous request of the students, to teaching after having removed himself because of the events regarding the death of his son-in-law (the Murri case, see below).