Giulio Bizzozero

Giulio Bizzozero (1846-1901) was an Italian doctor and medical researcher. He is known as the original discoverer of Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria which is responsible for peptic ulcer disease (although this fact was not generally accepted until the 1990s). He was one of the early pioneers of histography, and, more generally, the use of the microscope in medical research. He is also credited with the discovery of the function of platelets in the coagulation of blood.

Bizzozero was born in Varese, Italy on March 20, 1846. He studied medicine at the University of Pavia, graduating in 1866 at the age of 20. In 1867, he was chosen as the Chief of General Pathology and Histology at the University of Pavia. At the age of 27, he moved to the University of Turin, and founded the Institute of General Pathology. This institute trained many important Italian researchers including Camillo Golgi. While at Turin he worked to improve hygiene and water supply. In April 1901, he died of pneumonia.