BORELLI

borelli, giovanni alfonso (1608-1679), italian physiologist and physicist, was born at naples on the 28th of january 1608. he was appointed professor of mathematics at messina in 1649 and at pisa in 1656. in 1667 he returned to messina, but in 1674 was obliged to retire to rome, where he lived under the protection of christina, queen of sweden, and died on the 31st of december 1679. his best-known work is _de motu animalium_ (rome, 1680-1681), in which he sought to explain the movements of the animal body on mechanical principles; he thus ranks as the founder of the iatrophysical school. in a letter, _del movimento della cometa apparsa il mese di decembre 1664_, published in 1665 under the pseudonym pier maria mutoli, he was the first to suggest the idea of a parabolic path; and another of his astronomical works was _theorica mediceorum planetarum ex causis physicis deducta_ (florence, 1666), in which he considered the influence of attraction on the satellites of jupiter. he also wrote: _della causa delle febbri maligni_ (pisa, 1658); _de renum usu judicium_ (strassburg, 1664); _euclides restitutus_ (pisa, 1658); _apollonii pergaei conicorum libri v., vi. et vii._ (florence, 1661); _de vi percussionis_ (bologna, 1667); _meteorologia aetnea_ (reggio, 1669); and _de motionibus naturalibus a gravitate pendentibus_ (bologna, 1670). borga (finnish _porvoo_), a seaport in the province of nyland, grand duchy of finland, situated at the entrance of the river borga into the gulf of finland, about 33 m. by rail n.w. of helsingfors. pop. (1810) 1693; (1870) 3478; (1904) 5255. it is the seat of a lutheran bishopric which extends over the provinces of viborg and st michel with portions of tavastehus and nyland; it possesses a beautiful cathedral, and a high school (where the well-known finnish poet runeberg lectured for many years), and is the seat of a court of appeal. the weaving of sail-cloth and the manufacture of tobacco are the principal industries, and the chief articles of trade are wood, butter and furs. borga was once a city of great dignity and importance, but the rapid growth of helsingfors has somewhat eclipsed it. in 1809, when the estates of finland were summoned to a special diet to decide the future of the country, borga was the place of meeting, and it was in the cathedral that the emperor alexander i. pledged himself as grand duke of finland to maintain the constitution and liberties of the grand duchy.