Fallopius, Gabriel (1523–1562)

Italian anatomist who discovered the Fallopian tubes, which he described as ‘trumpets of the uterus’, and named the vagina. As well as the reproductive system, he studied the anatomy of the brain and eyes, and gave the first accurate description of the inner ear.

Fallopius, born in Modena, studied at Padua under Andreas Vesalius, becoming professor of anatomy at Pisa in 1548 and Padua in 1551. He was the teacher of Geronimo Fabricius.

Fallopius extended Vesalius's work and corrected its details. He was the first to describe the clitoris (previously brought to anatomists' attention by Matteo Realdo Colombo), and the tubes leading from the ovary to the uterus, which were subsequently named after him. He failed, however, to grasp the function of the Fallopian tubes. He also carried out investigations on the larynx, muscular action, and respiration.