[Murder for a duct. Wirsüng and Hoffmann: the true story of the discovery of the main pancreatic duct].

The Authors reconstruct the vicissitudes that led to the murder of Georg Wirsung on the evening of 22nd August 1643 in Padua. Among the motives for the murder, it was later assumed, was jealousy over the discovery of the main pancreatic duct. The Authors recall that this discovery, which removed the pancreas from the sphere of amorphous organs in order to correctly place it among the glands, was not originally made by the celebrated scientist himself but is attributable to his young co-worker Moritz Hoffmann. However, Georg Wirsung had the merit of confirming and disclosing the discovery. This circumstance, which even today is not widely recognised among the scientific community, is worth remembering in the name of respect for the historical truth.