Thrombosis and hemostasis at the University of Padua: a reappraisal on the occasion of its 800th year of history

Abstract

The year 1222 has traditionally been accepted as the University of Padua’s founding date. The University of Padua is a prestigious center for learning and research, and over the centuries, it has produced luminaries in the most significant disciplines, including medicine, law, philosophy, theology, literature, engineering, astronomy, physics, politics, and religion. The Studium of the teaching of Medicine began around 1250 with the establishment of the Collegium of Medical and Arts Doctors. The history of Medicine at Padua University is extraordinarily rich and counts on the contribution of masters such as Vesalius, Falloppia, Girolamo Fabrici d’Acquapendente, William Harvey, Vallisneri, Ramazzini, Morgagni and many others including Galileo Galilei himself. This year marks the 800th anniversary of the University of Padua, and to commemorate this historic event, the Editor has asked the three of us to summarize the university’s most significant contributions to the fields of hemostasis and thrombosis over the past eight decades. Among all, it should be mentioned the relevant contribution of Prof. Antonio Girolami, who was the founder of the group of Thrombosis and Hemostasis in Padua and one of the Italian and international leaders in the field of the diagnosis and treatment of congenital bleeding disorders. However, due to the large number of outstanding scientists and significant research conducted in these fields at Padua University, it was extremely difficult for us to provide a concise summary of the university’s numerous contributions. Eventually, we concluded that it would be more useful to share with the Readers the experiences we have had over the past several decades, focusing on specific aspects of our research, work, and life at Padua University, and attempting to highlight the aspects that we believe have contributed most to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of thrombosis and hemostasis. Therefore, three topics have been selected and presented separately in a narrative format as pieces of our lives and of the history of our university.