Leonardo Gigli
Encyclopedia
Leonardo Gigli was an Italian
surgeon
and obstetrician
remembered for describing Gigli's operation, and for designing the Gigli saw
to simplify its performance.
in the town of Sesto Fiorentino on 30 April 1863. He attended school and university
in Florence, graduating in medicine
and surgery
in 1889. He worked initially as assistant to the professor
of clinical paediatric surgery, and became assistant in clinical obstetrics and gynaecology
in Florence under Professor Domenico Chiara in November 1889.
When Chiara died in 1891 Gigli left Italy, travelling to Paris
to work under Tarnier
, then to London
and Wrocław where he worked under Professor Henry Fritsch from November 1892 to June 1893. During his time in Wrocław he was also able to attend surgery with Mikulicz
; here he first designed the wire saw which was manufactured by the Haertel company. He wrote about the use of this saw, which became known as the Gigli saw, to perform lateral pubiotomy
(Gigli's operation) to assist in obstructed labour
in July 1893 and again in October 1894 in the Annals of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Milan.
He returned to Florence in March 1894 to work at the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova
, and continued as a proponent of the lateral pubiotomy using the wire saw despite lack of support from colleagues in Italy. He also described the use of his saw for cutting other bones, excepting the skull
, in 1897; Professor Alfred Obalinski of Kraków
then described its use for craniotomy
in the same year.
In 1899 he became director of the Santa Maria Nuovo Hospital. He resigned from this post in 1901 to work in private practice and to concentrate on scientific work, having never received a university appointment. He died at home in Florence on 4 April 1908 of pneumonia
at the age of 44.
s and cranial flaps, and to section the sternum when performing an emergency clamshell thoracotomy
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and obstetrician
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
remembered for describing Gigli's operation, and for designing the Gigli saw
Gigli saw
A Gigli saw is a flexible wire saw used by surgeons for bone cutting. A gigli saw is used mainly for amputation surgeries, where the bones have to be smoothly cut at the level of amputation....
to simplify its performance.
Biography
Leonardo Gigli was born in a villaVilla
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
in the town of Sesto Fiorentino on 30 April 1863. He attended school and university
University of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...
in Florence, graduating in medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
in 1889. He worked initially as assistant to the professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of clinical paediatric surgery, and became assistant in clinical obstetrics and gynaecology
Obstetrics and gynaecology
Obstetrics and gynaecology are the two surgical–medical specialties dealing with the female reproductive organs in their pregnant and non-pregnant state, respectively, and as such are often combined to form a single medical specialty and postgraduate training programme...
in Florence under Professor Domenico Chiara in November 1889.
When Chiara died in 1891 Gigli left Italy, travelling to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to work under Tarnier
Étienne Stéphane Tarnier
Étienne Stéphane Tarnier was a French obstetrician who was a native of Aiserey. He studied and practiced medicine in Paris, and is often considered as doyen of French obstetrics during the second half of the nineteenth century...
, then to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Wrocław where he worked under Professor Henry Fritsch from November 1892 to June 1893. During his time in Wrocław he was also able to attend surgery with Mikulicz
Jan Mikulicz-Radecki
Jan Mikulicz-Radecki was a Polish-Austrian surgeon. He was born May 16, 1850 in Czernowitz in the Austrian Empire and died June 4, 1905 in Breslau, German Empire .While his mother Freiin von Damnitz was Austrian, his parental ancestors of the Mikulicz...
; here he first designed the wire saw which was manufactured by the Haertel company. He wrote about the use of this saw, which became known as the Gigli saw, to perform lateral pubiotomy
Pubic symphysis
The pubic symphysis or symphysis pubis is the midline cartilaginous joint uniting the superior rami of the left and right pubic bones. It is located anterior to the urinary bladder and superior to the external genitalia; for females it is above the vulva and for males it is above the penis...
(Gigli's operation) to assist in obstructed labour
Dystocia
Dystocia is an abnormal or difficult childbirth or labour. Approximately one fifth of human labours have dystocia.Dystocia may arise due to incoordinate uterine activity, abnormal fetal lie or presentation, absolute or relative cephalopelvic disproportion, or a massive fetal tumor such as a...
in July 1893 and again in October 1894 in the Annals of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Milan.
He returned to Florence in March 1894 to work at the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova
Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova
Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova is the oldest hospital still active in Florence.-Origins:The hospital was founded in 1288 by Folco Portinari, the father of Beatrice beloved by Dante...
, and continued as a proponent of the lateral pubiotomy using the wire saw despite lack of support from colleagues in Italy. He also described the use of his saw for cutting other bones, excepting the skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
, in 1897; Professor Alfred Obalinski of Kraków
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
then described its use for craniotomy
Craniotomy
A craniotomy is a surgical operation in which a bone flap is temporarily removed from the skull to access the brain. Craniotomies are often a critical operation performed on patients recording, brain imaging, and for neurological manipulations such as electrical stimulation and chemical...
in the same year.
In 1899 he became director of the Santa Maria Nuovo Hospital. He resigned from this post in 1901 to work in private practice and to concentrate on scientific work, having never received a university appointment. He died at home in Florence on 4 April 1908 of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at the age of 44.
Legacy
Although Gigli's operation, the lateral pubiotomy, is rarely performed today, the Gigli saw is still used to perform amputationAmputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
s and cranial flaps, and to section the sternum when performing an emergency clamshell thoracotomy
Thoracotomy
Thoracotomy is an incision into the pleural space of the chest. It is performed by a surgeon, and, rarely, by emergency physicians, to gain access to the thoracic organs, most commonly the heart, the lungs, the esophagus or thoracic aorta, or for access to the anterior spine such as is necessary...
.