Platelet adhesion and aggregation and fibrin formation in flowing blood: a historical contribution by Giulio Bizzozero

At the occasion of the first centennial of Giulio Bizzozero's death, the modern readers' attention is addressed to some ingenious experiments Bizzozero performed in Turin, Italy, around 1880. He discovered and carefully described blood platelet function in flowing conditions and the relationship between platelet adhesion to an artificial surface, aggregation and subsequent fibrin formation and deposition on activated platelet membrane. Bizzozero challenged contemporary concepts involving leukocytes in blood coagulation, but concluded that participation of blood platelets and white cells in fibrin formation was conceivable.