Valsalva studied medicine at Bologna under Malpighi. Later he became the teacher of Morgagni, who edited his collected works (Venice, 1740). In 1697 he became Public Engraver of Anatomy at Bologna, and in 1705 lecturer and demonstrator in anatomy, a position he held until his death. Besides his anatomical achievements, Valsalva was among the first to advocate humanitarian treatment of the insane. In De aura humana, Valsalva gave the first account of the minute anatomy of the human ear. He was also the first to define the three regions of the ear, outer, middle, and inner, and their relative functions. He also described the outer auricular muscles, and the hammer and tube in the middle ear. The treatise is divided into six chapters, the first three on the anatomy of the ear, the last three on its physiology. Chapter 2 includes a report on the muscles of the uvula and pharynx, which are illustrated. Valsalva named the Eustachian tube which connects the middle ear with the pharynx. The work is illustrated with ten engravings, as well as decorative initials.
