This volume collects essays dealing with the history of medicine in early modern Europe, and rang... more This volume collects essays dealing with the history of medicine in early modern Europe, and ranging from experiments and practices to the role of erudition in court-medicine, from the study of tarantism and plagues to the uses of drugs, from the collaborations and dissemination of medical knowledge to the epistemological classification of diseases. The essays aim to reveal the boundless investigation in medical knowledge, ultimately blurring the line of diverse fields, and focus on the extension of medicine as a scientia. Besides the investigation of specific figures and several case studies of early modern medicine, the volume opens with an exploration of the Medical School of Padua and also deals with some important locations that shape the science of medicine, such as anatomical theatres, botanical gardens, and museums.
Leonardo Botallo (1530–c. 1587) is widely known for the eponymous “foramen Botalli” and “ductus B... more Leonardo Botallo (1530–c. 1587) is widely known for the eponymous “foramen Botalli” and “ductus Botalli”. The first, most commonly named “foramen ovale”, allows blood in the fetal heart to enter the left atrium from the right atrium. The second, named “ductus arteriosus”, consists of a blood vessel in the developing fetus connecting the trunk of the pulmonary artery to the proximal descending aorta. However, Botallo was a multifaceted figure who studied many aspects of human anatomy and physiology, also making important contributions to clinical and surgical practices. Moreover, as we will see in the last section of this paper, Botallo wrote a book on medical deontology having significant features in relationship to the history of medical ethics. Botallo’s multidisciplinary approach is a typical characteristic of Renaissance physicians and scientists, who contributed to making this period a fundamental prelude to the scientific revolution of the 17th century.
Anthropologischer Anzeiger; Bericht uber die biologisch-anthropologische Literatur, Jan 14, 2018
Morgagni is considered the father of pathological anatomy. He died in 1771, 89 years old, and was... more Morgagni is considered the father of pathological anatomy. He died in 1771, 89 years old, and was buried in Saint Maxim church in Padua, where his wife and five of his 15 children were already buried. In 2011, an anthropological analysis confirmed that one of the skulls belonged to the oldest individuals among those found in Morgagni's tomb. A genetic analysis proved a kinship between this skull and the fragments of young individuals (one male and two females), supporting the hypothesis that they were Morgagni and his children. Thanks to the interaction between historical studies, anthropological research, and molecular analysis we can assume that the skull belongs to Giovanni Battista Morgagni and the skull fragments came from his children. Having obtained the identification of Morgagni, we performed a forensic facial reconstruction with new 3D technology. We compared the facial reconstruction with Morgagni's portraits done when he was living and near to his death, as to be...
The University of Padua has many legends about its cultural heritage. One of these concerns a col... more The University of Padua has many legends about its cultural heritage. One of these concerns a collection of eight skulls still preserved in the Hall of Medicine at Bo Palace, near the old anatomy theatre built in 1545. It is said that some famous professors of the University donated their bodies to medical science, and the skulls were from these bodies. From multidisciplinary research, both historical and anthropological, we have discovered that Francesco Cortese, Professor of Medicine and Rector of the University, started this personal collection of colleagues' skulls, although they had not donated their bodies to science, so that he could make his own detailed phrenology study.
The most significant cardiovascular anatomoclinical observations from Morgagni&am... more The most significant cardiovascular anatomoclinical observations from Morgagni's masterpiece De sedibus et causis morborum per anatomen indagatis (1761) are herein reported, divided into the current taxonomy according to cardiac structure: (a) aorta and pulmonary artery, (b) pericardium, (c) coronary arteries, (d) myocardium, (e) endocardium, (f) congenital heart defects, and (g) heart rhythm disorders. Morgagni's interpretations in cardiovascular pathology were strictly related with the most advanced theories of his time, such as those of blood circulation and iatromechanics; nevertheless, he remained close to the empirical description of clinical and pathological anatomy phenomena with their individual specificity. Through a systematic review of the literature, he compared the data from his own observations and experiments with those from physicians he considered reliable by applying the method of literature review which is still valid nowadays.
It has been believed for a long time that the Paduan scholar Antonio Vallisneri (1661–1730) descr... more It has been believed for a long time that the Paduan scholar Antonio Vallisneri (1661–1730) described the second historical case of the frontal sinus osteoma in 1733. By historico-medically reexamining this case, we conclude that the brain concretions he
described were not a case of frontal sinus osteoma, while they appear to have been pathological outcomes of neurocysticercosis, whose larval stages would only be described by Johann Goeze (1731–1793) later, in 1784. Thus, this case becomes relevant for the history of neuroparasitology.
Vincenzo Malacarne, professor of medicine, surgery, and obstetrics in Turin, Pavia, and Padua, It... more Vincenzo Malacarne, professor of medicine, surgery, and obstetrics in Turin, Pavia, and Padua, Italy, represented a perfect example of an eighteenth century Bletterato^, combining interests in humanities, sciences, and politics, embodying the ideal of an encyclopedic and universal culture. He made important contributions in anatomy and surgery, teratology, obstetrics, neurol-ogy, and history of medicine, adopting a interdisciplinary approach based on the correlation between anatomy, surgery, and clinics. He deserves a special place in the history of neurology because of the first complete description of the human cerebellum. He quantified the units of the cerebellar internal structures, the lamellae being numbered for a systematic description of the human cerebellum. He thought the mental faculties depended on their number, considering a relation between the number of cerebellar lamellae and the expression of intellectual faculties. In this way, he made first statistics on human faculties. He advanced the concept that the number of cerebellar folia was influenced by the environment, thus providing the first nature-nurture hypothesis made on the basis of observations, and the concept of neuroplasticity in the scientific literature. Finally, he also contributed to the emergence of a new science, namely electrophysiology, because he laid down experimental foundations of a project on the recording of brain electricity, comparing the structure of the human brain with Volta's galvanic pillar.
A mummy of a young woman, who died due to tuberculous peritonitis and salpingitis, is conserved i... more A mummy of a young woman, who died due to tuberculous peritonitis and salpingitis, is conserved in the Pathological Anatomy Museum of the University of Padua. It was found at autopsy to have situs inversus of viscera with dextrocardia, apparently in the absence of other congenital defects. A 64-section scanner computed tomography (CT) on the specimen was carried out to investigate the internal condition of organs. The CT revealed the presence in the heart of a muscular ventricular septal defect and of calcific deposits on visceral pericardium and aortic wall, in keeping with sequelae of previous tuberculous pericarditis.
This volume collects essays dealing with the history of medicine in early modern Europe, and rang... more This volume collects essays dealing with the history of medicine in early modern Europe, and ranging from experiments and practices to the role of erudition in court-medicine, from the study of tarantism and plagues to the uses of drugs, from the collaborations and dissemination of medical knowledge to the epistemological classification of diseases. The essays aim to reveal the boundless investigation in medical knowledge, ultimately blurring the line of diverse fields, and focus on the extension of medicine as a scientia. Besides the investigation of specific figures and several case studies of early modern medicine, the volume opens with an exploration of the Medical School of Padua and also deals with some important locations that shape the science of medicine, such as anatomical theatres, botanical gardens, and museums.
Leonardo Botallo (1530–c. 1587) is widely known for the eponymous “foramen Botalli” and “ductus B... more Leonardo Botallo (1530–c. 1587) is widely known for the eponymous “foramen Botalli” and “ductus Botalli”. The first, most commonly named “foramen ovale”, allows blood in the fetal heart to enter the left atrium from the right atrium. The second, named “ductus arteriosus”, consists of a blood vessel in the developing fetus connecting the trunk of the pulmonary artery to the proximal descending aorta. However, Botallo was a multifaceted figure who studied many aspects of human anatomy and physiology, also making important contributions to clinical and surgical practices. Moreover, as we will see in the last section of this paper, Botallo wrote a book on medical deontology having significant features in relationship to the history of medical ethics. Botallo’s multidisciplinary approach is a typical characteristic of Renaissance physicians and scientists, who contributed to making this period a fundamental prelude to the scientific revolution of the 17th century.
Anthropologischer Anzeiger; Bericht uber die biologisch-anthropologische Literatur, Jan 14, 2018
Morgagni is considered the father of pathological anatomy. He died in 1771, 89 years old, and was... more Morgagni is considered the father of pathological anatomy. He died in 1771, 89 years old, and was buried in Saint Maxim church in Padua, where his wife and five of his 15 children were already buried. In 2011, an anthropological analysis confirmed that one of the skulls belonged to the oldest individuals among those found in Morgagni's tomb. A genetic analysis proved a kinship between this skull and the fragments of young individuals (one male and two females), supporting the hypothesis that they were Morgagni and his children. Thanks to the interaction between historical studies, anthropological research, and molecular analysis we can assume that the skull belongs to Giovanni Battista Morgagni and the skull fragments came from his children. Having obtained the identification of Morgagni, we performed a forensic facial reconstruction with new 3D technology. We compared the facial reconstruction with Morgagni's portraits done when he was living and near to his death, as to be...
The University of Padua has many legends about its cultural heritage. One of these concerns a col... more The University of Padua has many legends about its cultural heritage. One of these concerns a collection of eight skulls still preserved in the Hall of Medicine at Bo Palace, near the old anatomy theatre built in 1545. It is said that some famous professors of the University donated their bodies to medical science, and the skulls were from these bodies. From multidisciplinary research, both historical and anthropological, we have discovered that Francesco Cortese, Professor of Medicine and Rector of the University, started this personal collection of colleagues' skulls, although they had not donated their bodies to science, so that he could make his own detailed phrenology study.
The most significant cardiovascular anatomoclinical observations from Morgagni&am... more The most significant cardiovascular anatomoclinical observations from Morgagni's masterpiece De sedibus et causis morborum per anatomen indagatis (1761) are herein reported, divided into the current taxonomy according to cardiac structure: (a) aorta and pulmonary artery, (b) pericardium, (c) coronary arteries, (d) myocardium, (e) endocardium, (f) congenital heart defects, and (g) heart rhythm disorders. Morgagni's interpretations in cardiovascular pathology were strictly related with the most advanced theories of his time, such as those of blood circulation and iatromechanics; nevertheless, he remained close to the empirical description of clinical and pathological anatomy phenomena with their individual specificity. Through a systematic review of the literature, he compared the data from his own observations and experiments with those from physicians he considered reliable by applying the method of literature review which is still valid nowadays.
It has been believed for a long time that the Paduan scholar Antonio Vallisneri (1661–1730) descr... more It has been believed for a long time that the Paduan scholar Antonio Vallisneri (1661–1730) described the second historical case of the frontal sinus osteoma in 1733. By historico-medically reexamining this case, we conclude that the brain concretions he
described were not a case of frontal sinus osteoma, while they appear to have been pathological outcomes of neurocysticercosis, whose larval stages would only be described by Johann Goeze (1731–1793) later, in 1784. Thus, this case becomes relevant for the history of neuroparasitology.
Vincenzo Malacarne, professor of medicine, surgery, and obstetrics in Turin, Pavia, and Padua, It... more Vincenzo Malacarne, professor of medicine, surgery, and obstetrics in Turin, Pavia, and Padua, Italy, represented a perfect example of an eighteenth century Bletterato^, combining interests in humanities, sciences, and politics, embodying the ideal of an encyclopedic and universal culture. He made important contributions in anatomy and surgery, teratology, obstetrics, neurol-ogy, and history of medicine, adopting a interdisciplinary approach based on the correlation between anatomy, surgery, and clinics. He deserves a special place in the history of neurology because of the first complete description of the human cerebellum. He quantified the units of the cerebellar internal structures, the lamellae being numbered for a systematic description of the human cerebellum. He thought the mental faculties depended on their number, considering a relation between the number of cerebellar lamellae and the expression of intellectual faculties. In this way, he made first statistics on human faculties. He advanced the concept that the number of cerebellar folia was influenced by the environment, thus providing the first nature-nurture hypothesis made on the basis of observations, and the concept of neuroplasticity in the scientific literature. Finally, he also contributed to the emergence of a new science, namely electrophysiology, because he laid down experimental foundations of a project on the recording of brain electricity, comparing the structure of the human brain with Volta's galvanic pillar.
A mummy of a young woman, who died due to tuberculous peritonitis and salpingitis, is conserved i... more A mummy of a young woman, who died due to tuberculous peritonitis and salpingitis, is conserved in the Pathological Anatomy Museum of the University of Padua. It was found at autopsy to have situs inversus of viscera with dextrocardia, apparently in the absence of other congenital defects. A 64-section scanner computed tomography (CT) on the specimen was carried out to investigate the internal condition of organs. The CT revealed the presence in the heart of a muscular ventricular septal defect and of calcific deposits on visceral pericardium and aortic wall, in keeping with sequelae of previous tuberculous pericarditis.
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described were not a case of frontal sinus osteoma, while they appear to have been pathological outcomes of neurocysticercosis, whose larval stages would only be described by Johann Goeze (1731–1793) later, in 1784. Thus, this case becomes relevant for the history of neuroparasitology.
described were not a case of frontal sinus osteoma, while they appear to have been pathological outcomes of neurocysticercosis, whose larval stages would only be described by Johann Goeze (1731–1793) later, in 1784. Thus, this case becomes relevant for the history of neuroparasitology.