Giovanni Cosimo Bonomo | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 November 1666 Livorno, Italy |
| Died | 13 January 1696 (aged 29) Florence, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Education | University of Pisa (MD) |
| Occupation | medical doctor |
| Years active | 1684–1696 |
| Known for | discovered itch mite origin of scabies |
| Medical career | |
| Sub-specialties | infectious diseases |
Giovanni Cosimo Bonomo (30 November 1666 – 13 January 1696) was an Italian physician, known for discovering the itch mite as the cause of the skin disease scabies. He described and drew them after observing their presence with the aid of a microscope in the fluid expressed from lesions of infected patients. By contradicting contemporary medical opinion and the papal aristocracy, he was harshly criticized and had a hard time finding a job. Eventually he became a personal physician for the German Electress Palatine Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici.