Giuseppe Brotzu (Cagliari, 24 January 1895 – Cagliari, 8 April 1976)
Biography
Giuseppe Brotzu was born in
Ghilarza, a town now part of the Province of Oristano,
Sardinia.
He graduated from the University of Cagliari, Sardinia in (1919) and later completed the specialization in
Hygiene at University of Siena in 1922. He graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Bologna in 1925.
He became a professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in 1932, and between 1939 and 1943 he was the director of University of Cagliari.
Scientific research
Brotzu is recognized as the discoverer of the
cephalosporin-based antibiotics, that were first isolated from cultures of
Cephalosporium (now known as
Acremonium) in 1948.
He noticed that these cultures produced substances that were effective against
Salmonella typhi, the cause of
typhoid fever,
which had
beta-lactamase.
He was awarded the
Laurea ad honorem at the University of Oxford in 1971, and was a candidate also for the
Nobel Prize.
Political career
Giuseppe Brotzu was elected President of Sardinia in 1955, and Mayor of
Cagliari in 1960.
Bibliography
-
G. Bo, «BROTZU, Giuseppe». In: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Vol. XXXIV, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, 1987 (on-line)
-
Roberto Paracchini (2002). Il signore delle Cefalosporine (Demos). .
-
Bo G (Jan-Feb 1999). Un ricordo del prof. Giuseppe Brotzu. Ann Ig 11 (1): 3-9. .
See also
