Cosmotellurism in Lombroso's work.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Few know that Lombroso was also involved in epidemiological research. In particular, Lombroso's scientific reflections on Medical Geography were addressed to the theme of climate influences and meteorological conditions on human conduct. The authors analyze the scientific production and the works of Lombroso devoted to medical geography. DISCUSSION: Lombroso carried out accurate epidemiological investigations using the statistical method with great modernity, combining health data with geographical and climatic data to demonstrate the relationship between man, the environment and health in a social vision of preventive and curative medicine. CONCLUSIONS: The theory of Cosmotellurism in Lombroso's work is not only a source of unquestionable interest in the History of Medicine. The heritage of Medical Geography within the pre-bacteriological medical culture can continue with its teachings to correctly address the clinician's thinking even in the current historical context in which endemic and epidemic pathologies re-emerge in various parts of the world. (www.actabiomedica.it).

Medicine does not have to cure the poor". The thought of Giovanni Bianchi (1693-1775).

Letter To Editor.

An ancestor of the stereotactic atlases: the Tabulae Anatomicae of Bartolomeo Eustachio.

The authors report the history of the Tabulae Anatomicae of Bartolomeo Eustachio (ca. 1510-1574). In the tables, the anatomical illustrations were drawn inside a numerical frame, with pairs of numbers on the y- and x-axes to identify single anatomical details in the reference table. The measures and the references could be calculated using the graduated margins divided by 5 units for each the x-axis and y-axis. The Tabulae Anatomicae can be considered a precursor to modern anatomical reference systems that are the basis of studies on cerebral localization mainly used for stereotactic procedures.

The Acetylcholine Therapy in the Treatment of Schizophrenia - The Experience of Mario Fiamberti in the Hospital of Varese (1937)

In the first half of the 20th century, in most European countries, it was thought that cholinesterase and other drugs that counteract acetylcholine should reduce the manifestations of schizophrenia. In 1937, Fiamberti (1894-1970) introduced the transorbital method of lobotomy which established the use of acetylcholine shock treatment for curing the disturbances of schizophrenia. Accepting the idea that the psychic alterations of schizophrenia were caused by a pathological interruption of nerve conduction at a presumably cortical level, Fiamberti thought he could apply this to the clinical field using the properties of acetylcholine, an acetic ester of choline. Here, we examined, in detail, the contribution of Mario Fiamberti to acetylcholine therapy.

Rebury the "Atavistic Skull" Studied by Lombroso?

On May 16, 2017, the judgment of the Italian court ended the legal battle concerning the repatriation request of the famous skull, belonging to the "brigand" Giuseppe Villella. During the autopsy examination on the corpse of Villella, Lombroso observed a median occipital dimple on the skull, a feature visible in other mammals, including primates, but absent in humans. This feature could demonstrate an anomalous dimension of the median lobe of Villella's cerebellum. From this anatomical finding, Lombroso consolidated the atavism theory, which established a close connection between morphological features and behavior.The Lombroso Museum and the University of Turin reiterated the legitimacy of the possession of the skull as cultural property in accordance with the Code of Cultural Heritage and as a find of forensic psychopathology. Finally, the court rejected the request from Villella's hometown, highlighting that the scientific theory is unquestionably invalid, but his existence cannot be denied.The "special" nature of human remains emerges from the special way in which the Code of Ethics of the International Council of Museums treats them, which also implies respect to the other material of the museum collections.

Bioethics in Italian Medical and Healthcare Education. A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Bioethics is relevant in healthcare and medical schools. However, unlike other foreign countries, its teaching in Italy has only been recently introduced, it is less extensively offered and no academic standards for bioethics education have been established. This research aims at understanding whether university bioethics courses attendees appreciate and consider teaching strategies to be effective with the objective of validating a coherent didactic approach to the discipline and stimulate further discussion on ways to improve it. METHODS: A standardized survey was administered to 1590 students attending undergraduate degree programs in medicine and healthcare at four Italian universities. RESULTS: The majority of interviewees (92.5%) had an interest in bioethics, considered it to be important for any life-sciences-related program (73.5%) and most healthcare (77.2%) and medical students (69.2%) suggested its teaching should be included in their curricula and made mandatory (66.3%) and continuous (57.7%), given its usefulness in clinical practice. Students consider bioethics as a care-integrated practice and appreciate teaching methods where it is integrated into clinical cases. Conceptual specificity and interdisciplinarity may affect the learning process and contribute to enhance students' analytical skills. CONCLUSIONS: Italian bioethics education should be revised to meet students' expectations and preferences. Its complex, multi-disciplinary and transversal nature suggests bioethical education to be flexible and integrated among different disciplines, thus stimulating a broader critical capacity through cases studies and other interactive teaching methods for helping students better deal with bioethics-inherent difficulties and improve the learning process.

Olive oil in pharmacological and cosmetic traditions.

Among the numerous natural substances used in medical remedies, oil certainly plays an important role and, over the centuries, there have been many functions and properties attributed to it. We present the processes that have seen it as protagonist in the pharmacological field and in the cosmetic field.

Biomechanical analysis of a femur fracture in osteoarchaeology: Reconstruction of pathomechanics, treatment and gait.

In paleopathology, biomechanics allows us to investigate traumas in ancient skeletal remains. The aim of our current research is to reconstruct pathomechanics, treatment and gait of an individual from a Late Medieval femur with evident bone callus. In particular, to reconstruct the dynamic of the trauma that caused the injury and the adopted therapeutic measures, taking into account medical knowledges of that time. The femur was recovered during the archaeological investigation in the Sanctuary of Sacro Monte, Varese (Northern Italy). Classical physical anthropological methods and CT scans were used for macroscopic and radiological measurements of the bone. Finally, the reconstruction of the static and dynamic functional outcomes of the lesion were performed by Observation Gait Analysis (OGA) procedure. The femur shows an important callus at the middle third proximal of the shaft. The antemortem fracture was oblique and caused by a direct trauma probably related to occupational activities. The alignment of the segments in the frontal plane lead us to assume that the fracture was treated and the femur was immobilized with splints. The overlap and the angle of the segments indicate that the subject was not submitted to traction or fracture reduction. Good bone remodeling and consolidation of the fracture suggest that the subject had gradually led to the resumption of load and walking, although with important effects on posture and movement. The use of the OGA allows us to highlight the subject's kind of gait after healing.

A case of Paget from a Northern Italy medieval necropolis.

An excavation conducted in 2002 by the Lombardy Archaeological Heritage in the St. Giulio Church (Cassano Magnago-Northern Italy) revealed an adult skeleton with an important alteration of the left femur. The femur, longer than the contralateral, exhibited an expansion of the full diaphysis; the surface was coarsened and porous. In cross section, it appeared that almost all the cortical bone had been converted into cancellous bone. Macroscopic and radiological alterations are suggestive of the monostotic form of Paget's disease, a chronic disorder, characterized by focal areas of excessive osteoclastic bone resorption followed by a secondary increase in osteoblastic bone formation. Differential diagnosis is complex for Paget's disease, requiring histological analysis, which revealed a thickened and disorganized trabecular pattern with thick cement lines. Such features, resembling to a mosaic pattern, are typical of Paget's disease.

To investigate the degenerative alterations of the spine in Paleopathology.

The aim of this study was to investigate the degenerative markers at the spine in adult skeletons recovered from archaeological sites. The results of this study may allow us to make inferences about the etiology of the degenerative pathology, physical activity levels and life style in the community. The relevance of this research is that it constitutes a reliable data base to compare with future investigations.

New paleoradiological investigations of ancient human remains from North West Lombardy archaeological excavations.

OBJECTIVE: Since its birth in 1895, radiology has been used to study ancient mummies. The purpose of this article is to present paleoradiological investigations conducted on several medieval human remains in Varese province. Anthropological (generic identification) and paleopathological analyses were carried out with the support of diagnostic imaging (X-ray and CT scans). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human remains were discovered during excavations of medieval archaeological sites in northwest Lombardy. Classical physical anthropological methods were used for the macroscopic identification of the human remains. X-ray and CT scans were performed on the same scanner (16-layer Hitachi Eclos 16 X-ray equipment). Results Radiological analysis permitted investigating (1) the sex, (2) age of death, (3) type of trauma, (4) therapeutic interventions and (5) osteomas in ancient human remains. In particular, X-ray and CT examinations showed dimorphic facial traits on the mummified skull, and the same radiological approaches allowed determining the age at death from a mummified lower limb. CT analyses allow investigating different types of traumatic lesions in skulls and postcranial skeleton portions and reconstructing the gait and functional outcomes of a fractured femur. Moreover, one case of possible Gardner's syndrome (GS) was postulated from observing multiple osteomas in an ancient skull. CONCLUSION: Among the medical tests available to the clinician, radiology is the most appropriate first-line procedure for a diagnostic approach to ancient human remains because it can be performed without causing any significant damage to the specimen.

Trauma to the scull: an analysis of injuries in ancient skeletons from North West Lombardy archaeological sites.

Traumatic lesions are among the most important sources of data providing information associated to interpersonal violence within ancient populations. The investigation on weapon-related traumas on human remains allows us to reconstruct the dynamic of the violent episodes. The purposes of this study are to describe the types of skull traumas discovered in several skeletons from medieval necropolis of the North West Lombardy (8th-16th) and to examine their presence and distribution. The injuries observed in our osteoarchaeological collection were in the form of depressed and penetrated traumas. The injuries were revealed on the middle aged and older men, but also on women and subadult. Fractures of skulls were analysed with macroscopical and radiological observations. In particular, CT investigations were essential to understand the extent of the injury and to hypothesis the cause.

[Dr Teodor Gjurgjevic, lawyer, diplomat, polyglot, and the collaborator of Andrija Stampar]. / Dr. Teodor Gjurgjevic, pravnik, diplomat i poliglot, suradnik Andrije Stampara.

Dr Theodor Gjurgjevic was born in Stubicka Kaniza on 1 December 1909 and died in Zagreb on 20 March 1976. He finished high school in Zagreb in 1927 and obtained a doctoral degree from the Zagreb University Faculty of Law in 1933. In 1956, he obtained his second doctorate in modern history from the University of Oxford. He dedicated a large part of his career to international affairs: before and during World War II in the Yugoslav Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgrade and after the war at the Zagreb School of Public Health as a collaborator of Andrija Stampar. At the School he held different positions: senior officer, lecturer in postgraduate courses, assistant, counselor, and from the 1959 School secretary. After the Second World War, he was delegated by the Yugoslav government to participate in various expert groups. Thanks to his very broad education, especially his knowledge of many foreign languages, he was able to help in the international presentation and recognition of the School of Public Health in the extraordinary post-war conditions. He is credited for the establishment and operation of the European Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPHER). He was buried in the arcades of the Zagreb cemetery Mirogoj, reserved for prominent national figures.

Different types of traumatic lesions on mediaeval skeletons from archaeological sites in Varese (North Italy): diagnosis on ante mortal fractures using macroscopic, radiological and CT analysis.

This is the medical history of three skeletons from archaeological sites in the province of Varese that are interesting because they show signs of traumatic injury to the skull and postcranial skeleton. Fractures of two of the skeletons were analysed by CT scan and radiological investigations to understand the extent of the damage and to hypothesise the cause. The study of lesions on ancient human remains is important to understand the degree of interpersonal violence within ancient communities and to reconstruct the dynamics of a violent episode.

[A.M. Fiamberti and 'psycosurgery']. / La psicochirurgia di A.M. Fiamberti nella stampa di informazione di metà novecento.

A.M. Fiamberti has been the Director of Psychiatric Hospital in Varese from its opening to 1964, allowing the structure to gain an important role in the history of Psychiatric Hospitals in Northen Italy in 20th century. Fiamberti has been the 'inventor' of a discussed therapeutical technique of 'psycosurgery' he began to use in 1937. The article analyzes the history and characters of this surgical technique at the light of testimonies in contemporary journals and reviews.