⚠The page is severely stained and damaged by moisture. The text appears to be a mirrored transfer (offset) or bleed-through from a facing page, making it appear in reverse. Transcription reflects the intended orientation of the words.

Editorial Note: The page is severely stained and damaged by moisture. The text on this leaf is mirrored, appearing to be a mirrored transfer (offset) or bleed-through from a facing page. This transcription and translation reflect the words in their intended reading order.

A faint, oval-shaped library or archival stamp is visible at the top, containing the word "ROME" and other illegible text.

ON?

THE LUNGS

LETTER

ANATOMICAL?

A. M.?

These initials likely refer to the author, Marcello Malpighi, or perhaps "Altera Manuscripta" (the second manuscript); the ink is too blurred for a definitive reading.

Lungsfrom the Latin 'pulmonibus'; the organs of respiration.
Letterfrom the Latin 'epistola'; in the 17th century, scientific findings were frequently shared as formal letters addressed to colleagues.
Anatomicalfrom the Latin 'anatomica'; referring to the study of the structure of living things.

original: "De Pulmonibus Epistola Anatomica." In this second letter (often referred to in academic history as the 'Epistola Altera') addressed to his colleague Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Malpighi provides the first histological description of the lung tissue. Most significantly, it is in this text that he announces his discovery of the capillaries—the tiny blood vessels connecting arteries and veins—which provided the "missing link" to prove William Harvey's theory of blood circulation.