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Giuseppe Levi, Natalia Ginzburg, and Lessico Famigliare (Family Lexicon): a seminal figure in the history of neuron cell biology and histology seen through his daughter's literary eyes

Giuseppe Levi, Natalia Ginzburg e Lessico Famigliare (Léxico familiar): uma figura seminal na história da biologia celular e histologia neuronais vista pelos olhos literários de sua filha

Abstract

One of the most important figures in the history of neurohistology, Giuseppe Levi (1872–1965) contributed in numerous ways to neuroscience, particularly in the fields of neuronal plasticity and the understanding of sensory ganglia. His daughter Natalia Ginzburg, née Levi (1916–1991), on the other hand, achieved fame as one of the most celebrated Italian writers of the twentieth century. Lessico Famigliare (Family Lexicon), from 1963, is a semibiographical account of her life in which she describes the life and character of her father in detail, providing depth and complexity to a seminal figures in the development of neuroscience. A thorough reading of the book enables modern neurologists to fully appreciate Levi's life and contributions, by means of humanizing him and giving context to his life and works. The present article provides a summary of Levi's and Natalia's lives and times as well as an analysis of the book and of the intimate, vivid descriptions of the neurohistologist's life.

Keywords
Giuseppe Levi; Natalia Ginzburg; Histology; Neurons

Resumo

Uma das figuras mais importantes da história da neuro-histologia, Giuseppe Levi (1872–1965) contribuiu de diversas maneiras para a neurociência, particularmente no campo da plasticidade neuronal e na compreensão dos gânglios sensitivos. Sua filha Natalia Ginzburg, nascida Levi (1916–1991), pelo contrário, adquiriu fama como uma das escritoras italianas mais célebres do século XX. Lessico Famigliare (Léxico familiar), de 1963, é um relato semibiográfico de sua vida, na qual ela descreve a vida e o comportamento de seu pai em detalhes, e confere profundidade e complexidade a uma figura seminal no desenvolvimento da neurociência. Uma leitura aprofundada do livro permite que neurologistas modernos apreciem a vida e as contribuições de Levi de forma mais completa, o humanizando e dando contexto a sua vida e suas obras. O autor resume as vidas e épocas de Levi e Natalia, bem como avalia o livro e as descrições íntimas, vívidas, da vida do neurohistologista.

Palavras-chave
Giuseppe Levi; Natalia Ginzburg; Histologia; Neurônios

INTRODUCTION

A seminal figure in neurohistology, along with Camillo Golgi (1843–1926) and Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934),11 Bentivoglio M, Vercelli A, Filogamo G. Giuseppe Levi: mentor of three Nobel laureates. J Hist Neurosci 2006;15(04):358-368. Doi: 10.1080/09647040600888974
https://doi.org/10.1080/0964704060088897...
Giuseppe Levi (1872–1965) (Figure 1A) contributed in numerous ways to neuroscience. As professor at Università degli Studi di Torino, he taught a generation of Nobel Prize laureates in Physiology or Medicine. His daughter Natalia Ginzburg, née Levi (1916–1991) (Figure 1B), achieved fame as one of the most celebrated Italian authors of the twentieth century.22 Jeannet AM, Katz GS. Natalia Ginzburg - A Voice of the Twentieth-Century. Toronto:: University of Toronto Press; 2000 Lessico Famigliare (Family Lexicon),33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 from 1963, is a semibiographical account of her early life containing a multitude of details of her upbringing, emphasizing her father. It provides depth and complexity to a singular character in the development of neuroscience, enabling modern neurologists to fully appreciate Levi's life and contributions. Previous accounts on his life have dealt with Lessico Famigliare only tangentially;44 Piccolino M. Science and Literature at Giuseppe Levi's Home in Turin. In: Sandrone S, Lorusso L. The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin. New York:: Oxford University Press,; 2022,55 Magrini G. Myth, Religion, Politics, and Literature in Giuseppe Levi's Turin. In: Sandrone S, Lorusso L. The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin. New York: Oxford University Press,; 2022 therefore, the present article aims to provide a fuller, in-depth perspective of the book and of Levi himself.

Figure 1
Portraits of Giuseppe Levi and Natalia Ginzburg. (A) A portrait of the neurohistologist as a young man (source: Levi-Ginzburg Archive; used with permission); (B) Natalia Ginzburg, presumably in the 1960s (source: Wikimedia Commons; public domain).

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

Born in Trieste, Levi graduated cum laude from Università degli Studi di Firenze in 1895; in Florence, he first studied neuroplasticity,66 Galeotti G, Levi G. Neubildung der nervosen Elemente. Beitr Pathol Anat 1895;17:367-415 nuclear features of neurons,77 Levi G. Ricerche sulla capacità proliferativa della cellula nervosa. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1896;1:385-386,88 Levi G. Ricerche citologiche comparate sulla cellula nervosa dei vertebrati. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1897;2:193-255 and sensory ganglion cells. He studied briefly in Berlin, under Oskar Hertwig (1849–1922),11 Bentivoglio M, Vercelli A, Filogamo G. Giuseppe Levi: mentor of three Nobel laureates. J Hist Neurosci 2006;15(04):358-368. Doi: 10.1080/09647040600888974
https://doi.org/10.1080/0964704060088897...
before returning to Italy. Further studies on neurons and hibernation,99 Levi G. Sulle modificazioni morfologiche delle cellule nervose di animali a sangue freddo durante l’ibernazione. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1898;3:443-459 hippocampi,1010 Levi G. Ueber die Entwicklung und Histogenese der Ammonshornformation. Arch Mikr Anat 1904;64:389-406,1111 Levi G. Morfologia e minuta struttura dell’ippocampo dorsale. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 1904;3:438-484 and sensory ganglia followed; he theorized on the correlation of neuronal size and an animal's size.1212 Levi G. Studi sulla grandezza delle cellule. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 1906;5:291-358 Following appointments to the universities of Sassari and Palermo, Levi earned a professorship in Turin in 1919,11 Bentivoglio M, Vercelli A, Filogamo G. Giuseppe Levi: mentor of three Nobel laureates. J Hist Neurosci 2006;15(04):358-368. Doi: 10.1080/09647040600888974
https://doi.org/10.1080/0964704060088897...
soon gathering a remarkable group of students, including future Nobel laureates Salvador Luria (1912–1991), Renato Dulbecco (1914–2012), and Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909–2012);11 Bentivoglio M, Vercelli A, Filogamo G. Giuseppe Levi: mentor of three Nobel laureates. J Hist Neurosci 2006;15(04):358-368. Doi: 10.1080/09647040600888974
https://doi.org/10.1080/0964704060088897...

2 Jeannet AM, Katz GS. Natalia Ginzburg - A Voice of the Twentieth-Century. Toronto:: University of Toronto Press; 2000

3 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963

4 Piccolino M. Science and Literature at Giuseppe Levi's Home in Turin. In: Sandrone S, Lorusso L. The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin. New York:: Oxford University Press,; 2022

5 Magrini G. Myth, Religion, Politics, and Literature in Giuseppe Levi's Turin. In: Sandrone S, Lorusso L. The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin. New York: Oxford University Press,; 2022

6 Galeotti G, Levi G. Neubildung der nervosen Elemente. Beitr Pathol Anat 1895;17:367-415

7 Levi G. Ricerche sulla capacità proliferativa della cellula nervosa. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1896;1:385-386

8 Levi G. Ricerche citologiche comparate sulla cellula nervosa dei vertebrati. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1897;2:193-255

9 Levi G. Sulle modificazioni morfologiche delle cellule nervose di animali a sangue freddo durante l’ibernazione. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1898;3:443-459

10 Levi G. Ueber die Entwicklung und Histogenese der Ammonshornformation. Arch Mikr Anat 1904;64:389-406

11 Levi G. Morfologia e minuta struttura dell’ippocampo dorsale. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 1904;3:438-484

12 Levi G. Studi sulla grandezza delle cellule. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 1906;5:291-358
-1313 Coutinho L, Teive HAG. Rita Levi-Montalcini: the neurologist who challenged fascism. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2023;81(01):95-98. Doi: 10.1055/s-0043-1761426
https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1761426...
despite the surnames, Levi and the latter had no familial connections. His career suffered greatly under fascism and the Second World War; he and his family first saught shelter in Liège before returning to Italy. Levi passed away in Turin, in 1965.

He and his wife, Lidia Tanzi (1878–1957), had five children; the youngest, Natalia, was born in Palermo.22 Jeannet AM, Katz GS. Natalia Ginzburg - A Voice of the Twentieth-Century. Toronto:: University of Toronto Press; 2000 After publishing some juvenilia, she spent most of the war following her then-husband, Leone Ginzburg (1909–1944), into exile, due to antifascist activities. Tragedy struck in 1944, as Leone was captured and brutally murdered by the Nazis.22 Jeannet AM, Katz GS. Natalia Ginzburg - A Voice of the Twentieth-Century. Toronto:: University of Toronto Press; 2000

3 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963

4 Piccolino M. Science and Literature at Giuseppe Levi's Home in Turin. In: Sandrone S, Lorusso L. The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin. New York:: Oxford University Press,; 2022

5 Magrini G. Myth, Religion, Politics, and Literature in Giuseppe Levi's Turin. In: Sandrone S, Lorusso L. The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin. New York: Oxford University Press,; 2022

6 Galeotti G, Levi G. Neubildung der nervosen Elemente. Beitr Pathol Anat 1895;17:367-415

7 Levi G. Ricerche sulla capacità proliferativa della cellula nervosa. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1896;1:385-386

8 Levi G. Ricerche citologiche comparate sulla cellula nervosa dei vertebrati. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1897;2:193-255

9 Levi G. Sulle modificazioni morfologiche delle cellule nervose di animali a sangue freddo durante l’ibernazione. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1898;3:443-459

10 Levi G. Ueber die Entwicklung und Histogenese der Ammonshornformation. Arch Mikr Anat 1904;64:389-406

11 Levi G. Morfologia e minuta struttura dell’ippocampo dorsale. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 1904;3:438-484

12 Levi G. Studi sulla grandezza delle cellule. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 1906;5:291-358

13 Coutinho L, Teive HAG. Rita Levi-Montalcini: the neurologist who challenged fascism. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2023;81(01):95-98. Doi: 10.1055/s-0043-1761426
https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1761426...
-1414 Castronuovo N. Natalia Ginzburg - Jewishness as Moral Identity. Market Harborough: Troubador Publishing,; 2010

Natalia worked at Giulio Einaudi Editore and published most of her work from the 1950s onward;22 Jeannet AM, Katz GS. Natalia Ginzburg - A Voice of the Twentieth-Century. Toronto:: University of Toronto Press; 2000 she became an important member of Italian literary circles, collaborating with Cesare Pavese (1908–1950). Other than Lessico Famigliare, which earned her the 1963 Premio Strega,1515 Carneiro DP. Remnants of History in the Novels: Lessico Famigliare by Natalia Ginzburg and La Storia by Elsa Morante. Anuário de Literatura. 2010;15(02):261-268. Doi: 10.5007/2175.7917.2010v15n2p260
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175.7917.2010v1...
significant works include Caro Michele (Dear Michael)1616 Ginzburg N. Caro Michele. Milan:: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore; 1973 (1973), Famiglia (Family)1717 Ginzburg N. Famiglia. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore; 1977 (1977), and La Famiglia Manzoni (The Manzoni Family)1818 Ginzburg N. La Famiglia Manzoni. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore; 1983 (1983). One of her sons, Carlo Ginzburg (1939), became a noted historian.

The aforementioned biographical data are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1
Summary of the biographical aspects of Giuseppe Levi and Natalia Ginzburg

LESSICO FAMIGLIARE AND A PORTRAIT OF THE FATHER

Lessico Famigliare33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 is an account of Natalia's early life, family, and the words shared among them; it strongly correlates with the exceptional circumstances which her family navigated.1515 Carneiro DP. Remnants of History in the Novels: Lessico Famigliare by Natalia Ginzburg and La Storia by Elsa Morante. Anuário de Literatura. 2010;15(02):261-268. Doi: 10.5007/2175.7917.2010v15n2p260
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175.7917.2010v1...
As noted by Zambra,1919 Zambra A. Prefácio. In: Ginzburg N. Léxico Familiar. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras; 2018 it is "the history of a Jewish, antifascist family that lives through horror, and only partially survives it". Natalia freely admitted that, although "[she] made nothing up",33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 "[she] wrote solely of what [she] remembered";33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 thus, it is a memoir of the little things.2020 Finazzi-Agrò E Posfácio. In: Ginzburg N. Léxico Familiar. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras; 2018

Her father is the dominant figure, his voice thundering in fearsome fits of temper: "anything was enough to drive him into a scary choler";33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 "most severe in his judgments, he called everybody ‘imbecile’"33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963. Few subjects aggrieved Levi more than the fascist ascension: he "would come back furious for having found hordes of Blackshirts on his way home, or for discovering new fascists among his friends".33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 After the family returned to Italy from Belgium, Levi faked his name, becoming "Giuseppe Lovisatto".33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 His ethnicity led to his arrest, and he was released after "fifteen or twenty days […] he had an overgrown beard but was proud to have been jailed".33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963

The histologist is often described as a mirror image of his beloved, more patient wife. "The things my father appreciated and held in high esteem were: socialism, England, the romances of [Émile] Zola [1840–1902], the Rockefeller Foundation, the mountain, and the guides of Val d'Aosta. The things my mother enjoyed were socialism, the poems of Paul Verlaine [1844-1896], and music, especially Lohengrin, which she used to sing for us, after supper".33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 Still, conflicts with Lidia would often arise while organizing domestic soirées, welcoming "professors, biologists, and scientists".33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 One of the major figures in this social environment was Tullio Terni (1888–1946), a student of Levi's,2121 Thiene G, Paradiso B, Zanatta A, Basso C, Zampieri F. Tullio Terni (1888-1946): The life of a neurocardioanatomist with a tragic epilogue. Int J Cardiol 2019;289:153-156. Doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2019.01.019
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2019.01...
admired by Natalia, who decisively introduced her to Marcel Proust's (1871–1922) œuvre.33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963

Levi's habits were inflexible: "my father always got up at four in the morning";33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 his breakfast was mezzorado, which he had learned to make while in Sardinia.33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 Levi dressed methodically, going to work "wearing a large cap"33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 and "a large, long coat, full of pockets and leather buttons",33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 his hands to the back and a pipe on his lips. Financial problems plagued the family: "I don't know how we'll make do";33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 "whenever he had to manage money, he lost it; […] if he didn't, it was by mere chance".33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963

Levi's pleasures were few, such as "spending the summer on the mountain. We rented a house for three months, from July to September"33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 every year. Hiking and reading were his occupations; Levi resented that few of his children developed the same love for the mountains. He was fond of reading Zola and Georges Simenon (1903–1989), and enjoyed theater, having "the highest esteem"33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 for Molière (1622–1673). However, Levi "didn't just not love music, but hated it; he hated any kind of instrument that could make music, be it a piano, an accordion or a drum"33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963. Painting did not appeal to him either; he barely tolerated the old masters and took his wife to the museums begrudgingly – though "he wouldn't allow her to stop in front of a painting";33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963 modern painters, such as Felice Casorati (1883–1963), Carlo Levi (1902–1975), and Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920) produced nothing but "smudges".33 Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963

In conclusion, Lessico Famigliare provides a broad perspective of the life of a great neurohistologist, told by a seminal writer who had been part of that life. Thus, a fuller perspective of the works and times of Giuseppe Levi enables modern neurologists to humanize him and better appreciate his contributions and his place in the development of our field.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Prof. Dr. Marco Piccolino and the Levi-Ginzburg Archive for the kind assistance in providing the portrait of Giuseppe Levi used in the present article.

References

  • 1
    Bentivoglio M, Vercelli A, Filogamo G. Giuseppe Levi: mentor of three Nobel laureates. J Hist Neurosci 2006;15(04):358-368. Doi: 10.1080/09647040600888974
    » https://doi.org/10.1080/09647040600888974
  • 2
    Jeannet AM, Katz GS. Natalia Ginzburg - A Voice of the Twentieth-Century. Toronto:: University of Toronto Press; 2000
  • 3
    Ginzburg N. Lessico Famigliare. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore,; 1963
  • 4
    Piccolino M. Science and Literature at Giuseppe Levi's Home in Turin. In: Sandrone S, Lorusso L. The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin. New York:: Oxford University Press,; 2022
  • 5
    Magrini G. Myth, Religion, Politics, and Literature in Giuseppe Levi's Turin. In: Sandrone S, Lorusso L. The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin. New York: Oxford University Press,; 2022
  • 6
    Galeotti G, Levi G. Neubildung der nervosen Elemente. Beitr Pathol Anat 1895;17:367-415
  • 7
    Levi G. Ricerche sulla capacità proliferativa della cellula nervosa. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1896;1:385-386
  • 8
    Levi G. Ricerche citologiche comparate sulla cellula nervosa dei vertebrati. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1897;2:193-255
  • 9
    Levi G. Sulle modificazioni morfologiche delle cellule nervose di animali a sangue freddo durante l’ibernazione. Riv Patol Nerv Ment 1898;3:443-459
  • 10
    Levi G. Ueber die Entwicklung und Histogenese der Ammonshornformation. Arch Mikr Anat 1904;64:389-406
  • 11
    Levi G. Morfologia e minuta struttura dell’ippocampo dorsale. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 1904;3:438-484
  • 12
    Levi G. Studi sulla grandezza delle cellule. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 1906;5:291-358
  • 13
    Coutinho L, Teive HAG. Rita Levi-Montalcini: the neurologist who challenged fascism. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2023;81(01):95-98. Doi: 10.1055/s-0043-1761426
    » https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1761426
  • 14
    Castronuovo N. Natalia Ginzburg - Jewishness as Moral Identity. Market Harborough: Troubador Publishing,; 2010
  • 15
    Carneiro DP. Remnants of History in the Novels: Lessico Famigliare by Natalia Ginzburg and La Storia by Elsa Morante. Anuário de Literatura. 2010;15(02):261-268. Doi: 10.5007/2175.7917.2010v15n2p260
    » https://doi.org/10.5007/2175.7917.2010v15n2p260
  • 16
    Ginzburg N. Caro Michele. Milan:: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore; 1973
  • 17
    Ginzburg N. Famiglia. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore; 1977
  • 18
    Ginzburg N. La Famiglia Manzoni. Turin:: Giulio Einaudi Editore; 1983
  • 19
    Zambra A. Prefácio. In: Ginzburg N. Léxico Familiar. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras; 2018
  • 20
    Finazzi-Agrò E Posfácio. In: Ginzburg N. Léxico Familiar. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras; 2018
  • 21
    Thiene G, Paradiso B, Zanatta A, Basso C, Zampieri F. Tullio Terni (1888-1946): The life of a neurocardioanatomist with a tragic epilogue. Int J Cardiol 2019;289:153-156. Doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2019.01.019
    » https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2019.01.019

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    07 June 2024
  • Date of issue
    2024

History

  • Received
    31 Aug 2023
  • Reviewed
    12 Feb 2024
  • Accepted
    23 Feb 2024
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