Medicina nei Secoli: Journal of History of Medicine and Medical Humanities

Lombrosian Creatures: Literary Devices for an Effective Popularisation of Science

Lorenzo Leporiere — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Whenever Cesare Lombroso needed to develop a new theory, he sought evidence in the criminal history of an individual, to persuade his readers – and perhaps himself as well – of the truth of his argument. He sourced these stories from old books and newspapers or selected criminal investigations in which he took part as a consultant. Thus, Cesare Lombroso popularised stories of ordinary criminals, such as Giuseppe Villella, the study of whose skull would convince him to have found the true nature of crime; or Vincenzo Verzeni, a strangler of women who loved to drink the fresh blood of his victims; and Giovanni Cavaglià, known as “Fusil”, a murderer who drew childish figures on a jug to tell his story before committing suicide. Cesare Lombroso used these cases both to validate his hypothesis and captivate the attention and interest of the audience. Unlike some of his colleagues, he did not shun the “volgarizzamento scientifico”, i.e. the popularisation of science. Conversely, Lombroso cleverly used this channel of scientific communication to spearhead his own ideas: sometimes he exaggerated certain aspects of his stories, while other times he added new narratives and meanings. This paper aims to highlight Cesare Lombroso’s narrative skills in the communication of science and to show how they were instrumental in promoting and disseminating his ideas and theories.

Medical Conan Doyle-Leucocytes, Bacteria and Phagocytosis Before Metchnikoff

Ernesto Damiani — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In March 1883, Arthur Conan Doyle published an article entitled “Life and death in the blood”, in which he provided a scientific description of the last advances in bacteriology and in leucocytes biology that implied activity of phagocytosis of bacteria in the blood. This discussion immediately suggests Metchnikoff’s theory of phagocytosis. However, Conan Doyle could not have known about this theory, since Metchnikoff’s first article about it was only published in November 1883. Furthermore, Conan Doyle could not have learned of Metchnikoff’s crucial experiment, performed in Messina in late December 1882, by participating in scientific assemblies, since at that time he was permanently practicing in Southsea, where he also received the proofs of his article in January 1883. On the other hand, leucocyte phagocytosis had been previously studied and Conan Doyle undoubtedly knew about these studies, given his specific interest in the subject deriving from his previous work on leukemia. In the manuscript, he specifically mentioned experiments carried out with the hot stage, likely referring to Max Schultze’s functional study performed in 1865. Additional studies, such as those of Joseph Leidy, Alexander Ogston, Karl Roser and George Sternberg among others, may also have influenced Doyle’s article. As in other circumstances, he subsequently used a scientific topic as a creative starting point for literary production.

Disability and deformity in Early Medieval Milan: bioarchaeology and pathography of two cases from the Ad Martyres cemetery of the Basilica of Saint Ambrose

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Started in 2018, the vertical excavation of the Ad Martyres cemetery at the Basilica of Saint Ambrose unearthed 307 tombs dated 1st-15th century. Bioarcheological studies are still underway at the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology and Odontology (LABANOF) aiming to construct a biological profile and osteobiography for each individual. From the phases attributed to the Early Middle Ages, two individuals revealed signs of skeletal deformity: one was a woman of 50-60 years with a severe idiopathic thoracic scoliosis buried in a brick box tomb; the other was an achondroplastic dwarf of 7-9 years. Both conditions probably led to serious and debilitating complications. Through a paleopathological, clinical, and historical multidisciplinary analysis, the present paper investigates the impact of these physical deformities on the daily life of the examined individual, discusses the potential disability they may have caused and explores how disability and deformity were experienced in the Early Middle Ages in Milan.

Patients and Health Personnel of San Gallicano Hospital in Rome in the XVIII Century

Aldo Morrone, Flavio Stocco — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

1725 is the year of birth of the San Gallicano hospital in Rome and it was immediately equipped with an organizational system that made it possible to make it a modern hospital. This study analyzes three fundamental documents for the hospital, i.e. the Foundation Bull of 1726, the Hospital Regulations of 1731 and the Hospital Establishments of 1743. In the 18th century the sanitary nature of the hospital was affirmed, specifying the type of diseases treated in the charity. The contemporary testimonies have made it possible to reconstruct the organizational structure of the health personnel made up of religious and lay people, whose professional roles were governed by strict rules concerning juridical, moral, behavioral and health issues. The documentary and archival material used in the research shows the progressive evolution of the San Gallicano hospital, allowing us to understand how it became the first dermatological hospital in Europe.

Chile-Italy a Historicist View of Pandemics and Epidemics: What are the Lessons we Must Learn? A Scoping Review Article

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Since the dawn of humanity, the human species has faced various epidemics that have decimated its population. Various causes have given rise to these epidemics, whether it is population growth, overcrowding, lack of services and basic hygiene supplies, wars, and famines, all have contributed in one way or another to the start of a pandemic. Understanding the phenomena and events that occurred in the past will allow us to understand our present and project ourselves toward our future. Objective: The present study undertakes a scoping review of research Explain and demonstrate the main management of the largest pandemics in the history of medicine, exemplifying through the case of the management of the cholera pandemic in Chile and Italy. Design: Online databases were used to identify papers published 1956-2021, from which 3425 we selected 30 publications from Chile, Italy, United Kingdom, the United States, that used the measures and epidemiological indicators as a primary or secondary outcome variable in studies that detail the managements and mortality, lethality, R0 and history of pandemics and epidemics. Results: The majority of publications (33%) reported secondary historic studies while 40% examined primary historic resources and 27% correspond to gray literature (reports, newspaper, editor letters, etc...). All but one of the studies collected measured data. Overall, 84% of the publications examined measures to fight against the pandemics. Those examining focused on. While most (66%) reported 1 or more epidemiological indicators and paleo-biological evidence. Evaluated using a customized quality assessment instrument, 26% of studies achieved an “A” quality ranking, while 18 and 39% achieved quality rankings of “B” and “C”, respectively. Conclusions: While the quality of studies is generally middle, research on systematic study of the history of medicine and pandemics will enable us to prevent and be better prepared for, and ideally anticipate, the emergence of new viral, bacterial, and protozoan variants, in the context of humans as part of a planetary ecosystem.

αἰδέονται φράζειν: Female Patients’ Figurative Language in the Corpus Hippocraticum

Carlo Delle Donne — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Issue regarding ancient medicine: the role played by female patient’s figurative language within the medical relationship. In particular, I set out to elaborate on the prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic potential inherent in the patients’ metaphorical way of thinking about and expressing their own experiences of disease. Metaphors, images, and similes are frequently employed by laymen when they talk to physicians; upon closer scrutiny, this fact testifies to the intrinsically metaphorical structure of our everyday thinking. More precisely, this phenomenon emerges especially when female patients are confronted with the conceptualisation of what is less immediately accessible in experience, such as the nature and causation of their own suffering. In other words, metaphors help them understand and talk about their health, be it psychic or physical. But physicians can turn our images into medical signs, as if they were real symptoms, if they are able to “decode” them appropriately.

Filmdemics: the History of Modern Pandemics Through the Lens of Cinema

Omar Simonetti, Marta Zatta, Jacopo Monticelli, Davide Orsini, Mariano Martini — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The 21st century has been shaped by the COVID -19 pandemic, which impacted on social behaviour and artistic production. Cinema was not unaffected. The “pandemic movie” has become a genre of its own in the entertainment press. A review of the field conducted in the context of a film club coupled with literature review could trace the history of pandemics since the beginnings of cinema. Spanish Flu, Asian Flu, Hong Kong Flu, Ebola, HIV and sexually transmitted infections, bio-weapons, the SARS and COVID-19 pandemics have all been described through the lens of cinema and science. Fiction predicted, described and influenced contemporary and future healthcare experiences. Behind the scenes, a new hero is emerging in the panorama of cinematography, the epidemiologist as a trademark of the future pandemic movies. For all these reasons, cinematic representations of disease are a valuable resource for those involved in the education of medical professionals.

Separating Humanist and Scientific Culture is an Oxymoron

Giuseppe Scalabrino — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The separation of culture in two fields is discussed. Starting from the ancient Greece until twentieth century, several prize examples of polyhedric intellectuals have been reviewed according to a chronological criterion, in order to demonstrate that this separation is impossible and inappropriate. These examples support a holistic view of the culture.

Le Monete nel Corpo del Beato Jean Bassand (c. 1360-1445). Storiografia e Analisi dei Reperti

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

During the canonical recognition of Jean Bassand’s partially skeletonized mummy, digital X-ray examination and computed tomography scanning revealed the presence of 5 coins from Italian mints (15th-16th century). The coins were recovered endoscopically: in the pelvis 3 quattrini of the Republic of Florence (one of which with signs of withdrawal from circulation) dating after 1472, and 1 cavallo of Aquila coined under Charles VIII of Valois (1495-1496); in the skull 1 quattrino of Pier Luigi Farnese, duke of Castro (1537-1545). These items, possibly survived from a richer deposit, may represent part of the offerings, which have become chronological indicators of ceremonies (50th and 100th anniversaries). Probably, they were intentionally repositioned during further inspections following earthquakes (1703) or desecrations (1529, 1799). The study aims to establish the period of production and free flow - in the Aquila’s area - of these coins, in order to determine possible historiographical relationships with the body.

A Contribution to Better Understand the Therapeutic Incubatory Rituals Within the Greek Antiquity

Renato Berti — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this paper the whole historical, structural, and psychological aspects of the incubatory rituals practiced within the Asklepieia1 will be deep-in examinated. The paper will start with an introductory remark on Hellenic incubation practice (1) to then move on to sequence and analyze the rituals associated with the cult considered (2) to highlight the state of mind they sought to induce in sufferers. Section (3) will be mostly focused on the connection between the ancient medi- cine and dreams, whilst the following section (4) analyzes a possible direct connection between theater and the dreaming world. Then, through comparison with a present-day incubatory cult (5) and the contribution derived from some modern psychological theories (6), we will try to formulate a plausible hypothesis (7) about the functional properties of such liturgies with reference to their ability to mobilize the deep energies of pilgrims, aimed at achieving healing from the physical and psycho-physical ills that afflicted them or at solving other pressing problems2.

The Cult of the Dead and the Shrines of Purgatory in the Streets of Naples. The Rise and Fall of a Popular Devotion

Marcello Guarino — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The votive shrines are a non-liturgical variant of worship that avoids ecclesiastical mediation in the relationship with the Sacred. The main subjects of the following discussion are the street-shrines of Naples dedicated to the dead as well as the worship that underlies them, the cult of souls in Purgatory. This devotion was initially limited to offering of prayers, almsgiving and suffrage masses in favour of dead relatives. However, the cult underwent considerable modulation over time. Indeed, already at the beginning of the 17th century the pietas of the Neapolitans extended the devotion to all suffering souls in Purgatory, especially neglected souls, believed to be particularly in need of help. Since then, these souls became the major protagonists of the cult in Naples. They comprised those who died without receiving the proper rituals of passage - considered of fundamental importance to reach the afterlife, and accomplished through the practice of double burial - as well as the forgotten and abandoned dead. Without the memory and help of the living, these souls were stuck in an eternal transition which prevented their ascent to Heaven. An ultimate modification of the cult took place in the second half of the 19th century, when an autonomous form of devotion was born based on the adoration of unknown skulls. This worship variously intertwined and merged with the previous cult, thus constituting a real specificity of Naples. The skulls were regarded as representatives of anonymous souls, whose abandonment and marginality would continue forever without the intervention of devotees who take care of them. The cult of Purgatory and the intermediate nature of their protagonists is effectively represented by miniatures of the souls that still today populate the numerous street-shrines. The great diffusion of these shrines is the direct testimony of the liveliness and strength that the cult of the dead had in Naples. They are certainly worthy of attention, care and protection as they are part of the cultural heritage of the city.

Pandemics and Mental Disorders: From the Thought of the 19th Century Psychiatrist Andrea Verga to long-term effects of COVID-19

Davide Orsini, James A. Ostenson, Francesco Brigo, Mariano Martini — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic has had and, due to its long-term effects, continues to have significant psychological consequences for many people. In this article, some of the most rel- evant signs of this psychological impairment are discussed, as are common reactions characterizing people’s behavior in the face of fear triggered by a pandemic. All this is considered through a synoptic reading of the 1862 text entitled Delle particolari forme di delirio cui danno origine le grandi pestilenze [The particular forms of delirium to which the great plagues give rise] by the Italian psychiatrist Andrea Verga (1811- 1895). Drawing on Verga’s perspective, we can see clearly how human reactions to the fear of an unknown disease have are consistent over the centuries, and especially how some reactions are traceable to biological and social interactions in a syndemia perspective.