Camillo Golgi

Biography

• Born July 7, 1843 Corteno, Italy
• 1906 – Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Died January 21, 1926 in Pavia, Italy

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Medical Eponyms

Anatomical eponyms

Golgi apparatus (or Golgi complex/body): Discovered in 1898, this organelle is a series of stacked membranes (cisternae) involved in packaging and exporting proteins and lipids. It was originally named apparato reticolare interno (internal reticular apparatus).

Golgi tendon organ: A proprioceptive sensory receptor located at the musculotendinous junction that detects muscle tension.

Golgi-Mazzoni corpuscles: Sensory nerve endings located in the tendons, specifically described as corpuscles that detect pressure and touch.

Golgi cells (type I and II): Specifically, Golgi cells of the cerebellum (inhibitory interneurons) and types of nerve cells categorized by axon length.

Perineuronal net: An extracellular matrix meshwork that surrounds some neurons.

Golgi method/stain: Also known as the “black reaction” (reazione nera), this silver-osmium technique is a staining method that allowed the first full visualization of nerve cells.

Golgi cycle/law: Named after his work on malaria, referring to the development cycle of the parasite in human blood and the correlation with fever.

Müller-Golgi tubules: Sometimes used for the tubules of the parietal cells of the gastric gland

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Major Publications

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References

• Buttner R, Lee J. De-eponymising anatomical terminology. 2020
• Bentivoglio M. Life and Discoveries of Camillo Golgi. NobelPrize.org
• Bibliography. Golgi, Camillo 1843-1926. WorldCat Identities