CORTI, BONAVENTURA. — Ecclesiastic, naturalist, born at Scandiano (Emilia) on 26 Feb. 1729, died at Reggio Emilia on 30 Jan. 1813. He was professor of physics at the college of S. Nazario in Reggio Emilia, then rector of that of S. Carlo in Modena.
His most celebrated observations are those on the protoplasmic movements in vegetable cells, thus preceding Brown in the description of the movements of the granules of protoplasm (movements called “brownian”). His first observations indeed date back to 1772, while R. Brown was born in 1773.
His most notable works are: Osservazioni microscopiche sulla Tremella e sulla circolazione del fluido in una pianta acquatica (Chara; Lucca 1744); Sulla circolazione del fluido scoperta in varie piante (Milan 1776).