https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa01/medicina_nei_secoli <p><strong>Medicina nei secoli: Journal of history of medicine and medical humanities</strong>, founded in 1964, is an international peer-reviewed Journal published by Sapienza University of Rome (Sapienza University Press). Since 1989, MnS has been edited by the <span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Noto Kufi Arabic', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">History of Medicine and Bioethics Unit of the Department of </span><span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Noto Kufi Arabic', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Molecular Medicine.</span></p> <p><strong>MnS</strong> publishes original research papers, critical reviews and short communications devoted to all aspects of History of Medicine and Biomedicine, History of Healthcare and Health Professions, History of Bioethics and Medical Humanities.</p> <p><strong>Editor</strong></p> <p>Valentina Gazzaniga</p> <p><strong>Journal Information</strong></p> <p>Language: English/<span style="font-family: 'Noto Sans', 'Noto Kufi Arabic', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Italian</span></p> <p>Frequency: Quarterly: 3 issues/year<br />Format: 20 x 27 cm</p> Sapienza University Press en-US Medicina nei Secoli: Journal of History of Medicine and Medical Humanities 0394-9001 https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa01/medicina_nei_secoli/article/view/3179 Marco Cilione Francesca Gambetti Copyright (c) 2025 Marco Cilione, Francesca Gambetti https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 2026-03-06 2026-03-06 37 3 5 12 10.13133/2531-7288/3179 https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa01/medicina_nei_secoli/article/view/3197 <p>This article examines the twentieth chapter (<em>Perì entheastikōn</em>) of the 1st-century AD medical treatise <em>Anonymus Parisinus</em>, devoted to a chronic mental disorder whose sufferers believe themselves under divine influence and act on false opinions about the gods. After outlining the nosological context of the work, it analyses the doxographical section reporting the aetiological views of Praxagoras of Cos and a retrospectively constructed “Hippocratic” doctrine. Praxagoras situates the pathology in the heart and aorta, linking it to pneumatic disturbances comparable to those characteristic of epilepsy, mania, and melancholy, and offering a possible pathophysiological correlate of the Peripatetic doctrine of <em>enthousiasmós</em>; the “Hippocratic” view anachronistically frames the disease as a form of melancholy affecting the superstitious, a perspective also paralleled in Erotian’s <em>Hippocratic Lexicon</em>. The paper then examines the author’s description of symptoms –&nbsp;self-mutilation, frenzied movement, collapse in sacred spaces&nbsp;– closely associated with Metroac cult practices, and his distinctive therapeutic programme. This combines dietary measures, avoidance of ritual stimuli, and verbal admonition to correct false beliefs, supported by respected authority figures. The study situates <em>Perì entheastikōn</em> within broader Greco-Roman conceptions of ‘religious madness’ and highlights its pragmatic, practice-oriented approach to treatment.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Keywords:</strong></p> <p>This article examines the twentieth chapter (<em>Perì entheastikōn</em>) of the 1st-century AD medical treatise <em>Anonymus Parisinus</em>, devoted to a chronic mental disorder whose sufferers believe themselves under divine influence and act on false opinions about the gods. After outlining the nosological context of the work, it analyses the doxographical section reporting the aetiological views of Praxagoras of Cos and a retrospectively constructed “Hippocratic” doctrine. Praxagoras situates the pathology in the heart and aorta, linking it to pneumatic disturbances comparable to those characteristic of epilepsy, mania, and melancholy, and offering a possible pathophysiological correlate of the Peripatetic doctrine of <em>enthousiasmós</em>; the “Hippocratic” view anachronistically frames the disease as a form of melancholy affecting the superstitious, a perspective also paralleled in Erotian’s <em>Hippocratic Lexicon</em>. The paper then examines the author’s description of symptoms –&nbsp;self-mutilation, frenzied movement, collapse in sacred spaces&nbsp;– closely associated with Metroac cult practices, and his distinctive therapeutic programme. This combines dietary measures, avoidance of ritual stimuli, and verbal admonition to correct false beliefs, supported by respected authority figures. The study situates <em>Perì entheastikōn</em> within broader Greco-Roman conceptions of ‘religious madness’ and highlights its pragmatic, practice-oriented approach to treatment.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Sandro Passavanti Copyright (c) 2025 Sandro Passavanti https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 2026-01-20 2026-01-20 37 3 165 194 10.13133/2531-7288/3197 https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa01/medicina_nei_secoli/article/view/3199 <p>This study reconstructs the biography and restores the scientific and literary significance of Giambattista Messedaglia (1810–1845), an anatomist from Verona known for his ability to petrify human and animal tissues. Through the analysis of archival and literary sources, the article explores how Messedaglia, inspired by the work of Girolamo Segato, developed an innovative method for preserving tissues, which he presented to the scientific community of Verona. Despite partial recognition of his work, Messedaglia’s technique did not achieve the desired success due to the lack of publicly available technical details and his untimely death. The article also examines Messedaglia's influence on contemporary literature, highlighting how poets and writers interpreted petrification as a triumph of human ingenuity over death. Finally, the study discusses the cultural significance of petrification within the context of the 19th century, emphasizing the different literary and scientific interpretations of this practice.</p> <p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Petrifiers - Medical literature - Anatomical preparations - Medical museology</p> Sofia Bollini Alberto Zanatta Copyright (c) 2025 Sofia Bollini , Alberto Zanatta https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 2026-01-20 2026-01-20 37 3 195 212 10.13133/2531-7288/3199