Carlo Urbani was an infectious diseases expert for Health Organization (WHO), who in 2003, first identified Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) as a new and highly contagious disease. In February, 2003, an American businessman with an unknown lung disease was admitted to a hospital in Vietnam. Doctor Urbani immediately understood that it was a new virus and right after he alerted the WHO and the Vietnamese government; he involved also foreign doctors in the investigation of this case. He advised the authorities to immediately implement quarantine measures and thanks to his quick and unyielding response, the spread of the virus could be stopped quickly, many patients were identified and early isolated. His early warning to the World Health Organization triggered a swift and global response credited with saving numerous lives. He shortly afterwards himself became infected and died. The shut down of Vietnam's first outbreak was really a very important step for the whole world community and the Urbani's quick actions were crucial because ensured an early detection of SARS and an effective response from international community.
Carlo Urbani was an infectious diseases expert for Health Organization (WHO), who in 2003, first identified Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) as a new and highly contagious disease. In February, 2003, an American businessman with an unknown lung disease was admitted to a hospital in Vietnam. Doctor Urbani immediately understood that it was a new virus and right after he alerted the WHO and the Vietnamese government; he involved also foreign doctors in the investigation of this case. He advised the authorities to immediately implement quarantine measures and thanks to his quick and unyielding response, the spread of the virus could be stopped quickly, many patients were identified and early isolated. His early warning to the World Health Organization triggered a swift and global response credited with saving numerous lives. He shortly afterwards himself became infected and died. The shut down of Vietnam's first outbreak was really a very important step for the whole world community and the Urbani's quick actions were crucial because ensured an early detection of SARS and an effective response from international community.
History of Medicine is not a discipline destined to culturally enrich only those who work in the health sector. All historians know very well how some medical events have influenced the course of history. In particular, infectious diseases, being interconnected with political, social, economic and war issues, have an important historical significance.Microbial agents are invisible enemies ready to undermine mankind and to find prosperity in human misery.Tuberculosis, better than other, is well suited to study the epistemological path of medical thought, from its origins to the present day.From the Hippocratic and Galenic thought to the anatomo-clinical method, from the advent of microbiology to the antibiotic era up to the postantibiotic era, recognizing the timeless need to implement valid social policies and effective preventive medicine actions to achieve satisfactory results.
Enrico Bottini (Stradella, Pavia, 7 settembre 1835 – Porto Maurizio, Sanremo, 11 marzo 1903) è stato un chirurgo poliedrico, che ha lasciato una forte impronta nella chirurgia moderna, non solo italiana, ma mondiale. Allievo di Porta e di Ribeti, nonché dell'insigne chirurgo e anatomista francese Charles-Marie-Édouard Chassaignac, si è dedicato nel corso della sua carriera a diversi ambiti della medicina, spaziando dalla batteriologia e dall'anti-sepsi (utilizzo di un derivato dell'acido fenico), alla chirurgia urologica (la cosiddetta "galvano-cauterizzazione endo-uretrale", detta anche operazione di Bottini, o incisione perineale secondo Bottini). Si è anche dedicato con successo alla ginecologia (isterectomia trans-vaginale per cancro dell'utero e trattamento chirurgico delle fistole vescico-vaginali), alla chirurgia maxillo- facciale (interventi di resezione endo-orale del mascellare, di resezione sottoperiostea della mandibola, per la cura del serramento stabile della mandibola, amputazione totale della laringe e della lingua per carcinomi), alla dermochirurgia (utilizzo dell'elettrocauterio) e alla chirurgia vascolare (resezione della vena cava inferiore). È stato anche un importante politico italiano, prima come deputato e poi come senatore.
Using the case of the vaccine against smallpox as an example, this article explores how the attitude and the politics of the Vatican State towards vaccination changed between the 18th and 19th century.Despite some notable exceptions, the Catholic Church became progressively involved in supporting vaccination in Italy, exerting its temporal and spiritual authority to develop healthcare policies and to convince a population that still considered the vaccine as potentially harmful.
The intrusion of infectious diseases in everyday life forces humans to reassess their attitudes. Indeed, pandemics are able catalyze rapid transitions in scientific knowledge, politics, social behaviors, culture and arts. The current Coronavirus diesease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak has driven an unprecedented interest toward the influenza pandemic of 1918. The issue is whether history can shed light on the best preventive response and future scenarios. The aim of this review is to highlight the parallelism between the two pandemics. Starting from epidemiology and clinical features, but further focusing on social and cultural issues, it is possible to unreveal great similarities. Their outbreak pattern lead to hypothesize a similar duration and death burden in absence of effective vaccines or innovative treatments for COVID-19. Thus, then as now, preventive medicine represents the first and most effective tool to contain the course of the pandemic; being treatments available only supportive. At the same time,both pandemics shared the same pattern of narration (e.g. scapegoating) and the same impact on minorities in high-income countries. Furthermore, visual art responded to pandemic issues in 2020 in the form of Graffiti art, while similar role was ruled by Expressionism movement during the Spanish flu. Photography also was capable to document both catastrophic scenarios. Thus, it is possible to find a lot of clinical and social similarities between the two pandemics. Nevertheless, if the Spanish flu was not unforseen, COVID-19 spillover was partially predictable and its global impact will hopefully not be overshadowed by a major crisis such as World War I.
The intrusion of infectious diseases in everyday life forces humans to reassess their attitudes. Indeed, pandemics are able catalyze rapid transitions in scientific knowledge, politics, social behaviors, cultureand arts.The current Coronavirus diesease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak has driven an unprecedented interest toward the influenza pandemic of 1918. The issue is whether history can predict ourbest preventiveresponse and future scenarios. The aim of this review is to highlight the parallelism between the two pandemics. Starting from epidemiology and clinical features, but further focusing on social and cultural issues, it is possible tounrevealgreat similarities. Their outbreak patternleadto hypothesize a similar duration and death burden in absence of effective vaccines or innovative treatments for COVID-19. Thus,then as now, preventive medicine represents the first and most effective tool to contain the course of the pandemic; being treatments available only supportive. Contemporary,both pandemics shared the same pattern of narration (e.g.scapegoating)and the same impact on minorities in high-income countries.Furthermore, visual art did not wait to respond withGraffiti artplaying in 2020 therole thatExpressionismmovement had during the Spanish flu and photography capable todocument both catastrophic scenarios. Thus, it is possible to find a lot of clinical and social similarities between the two pandemics. Nevertheless, if the Spanish fluwas notunforseen, COVID-19 spillover was partially predictable and its global impact will not be overshadowed by a major crisis such as World War I.
Tuberculosis is a very serious respiratory infectious disease, caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which generates a relevant societal and clinical burden. It has always represented a permanent concern and a public health challenge over the course of human history, because of its severe epidemiological, and economic-financial implications. The present review aims at over-viewing the impact on tuberculosis on the Israeli healthcare system, its temporal trend and evolution, stratified according to ethnicities and minorities, the need of establishing new facilities and implementing screening techniques, public health strategies and diagnostic tests, following massive immigration waves from countries characterized by a high incidence rate of tuberculosis during the fifties-sixties until the nineties, and the policies implemented by the Israeli government in the control, management and treatment of tuberculosis, as well as the role played by Israeli prominent scientists in discovering new druggable targets and finding bioactive compounds and bio-molecules in the fight against tuberculosis. Israel represents a unique, living laboratory in which features of developed and developing countries mix together. This country as a case-study of immigrant, pluralistic society underlines the importance of adopting a culturally-sensitive community intervention approach. The understanding of the subtle interplay between race/ethnic host and pathogen factors, including the role of gene variations and polymorphisms can pave the way for a personalized treatment and management of tuberculosis patients, contributing to the development of new tools for targeted tuberculosis therapeutics, immunodiagnostics and vaccination products.
The phenomenon known as Vaccine hesitancy (a term that includes the concepts of indecision, uncertainty, delay, reluctance) is complex and closely linked to the different contexts, with different determinants: historical period, geographical areas, political situation, as complacency, convenience and confidence towards vaccines. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends to constantly monitor vaccine hesitancy and any proxy of it. Given the growing importance and pervasiveness of the information and communication technologies (ICTs), the new media could be exploited for a real-time tracking of vaccination-related perception by the lay-people, enabling health-care workers to actively engage themselves and to plan ad hoc communication strategies. The analysis of so-called "sentiments" expressed through the new media (such as Twitter), the real-time tracking of web-related activities enabled by Google Trends, combined with online specific "surveys" on well-defined themes administered to target groups (like health-care workers) may constitute the "Fast data monitoring system", enabling to get a snapshot on the perception of vaccination in that place and at that time. This type of dashboard could be a strategic tool for public services, to organize targeted communication actions aimed at containing Vaccine hesitancy.
Fifty years ago, Italy was declared a malaria-free country by the World Health Organization (WHO). In remembering this important anniversary, the authors of this paper describe the long journey that led to this goal. In the century following the unification of Italy, malaria was one of the main public health problems. At the end of the 19th century, malaria cases amounted to 2 million, with 15,000–20,000 deaths per year. This manuscript examines the state of public and social health in Italy from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, with particular regard to the government's measures for the prevention, prophylaxis and treatment of malaria. The authors describe the main findings of Italian malariologists during the period under review, from the identification of Plasmodium as a malaria pathogen and the recognition of the Anopheles mosquito as its vector. They also make some considerations regarding the current situation and the importation of malaria by travelers and migrants from countries where the disease is still endemic.
In Europe the influence spread in France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain, interfering on the battle-fields with the military operations during the First World War.The official communications of the health authorities worldwide gave certainty about the etiology of influenza, but from laboratories it was not always possible to isolate the famous Pfiffer bacillus. The Spanish flu hit different ages with a so-called "W- trend": the two typically more susceptible age spikes were the children and the elderly, added by the healthy young adults.The first official preventive measures implemented in August 1918 included the notification need of suspected cases, and the surveillance of communities such as schools, barracks and boarding schools.The identification of the ill through surveillance, voluntary and legally enforced quarantine, or isolation had also permitted to limit Sanish flu widespread.In order to not impress the public opinion, moreover, several hygiene local offices refused to provide the numbers of people affected and deads.The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more than 50 million people worldwide.Virological and bacteriological analysis of preserved samples of infected soldiers who died in 1918 during the pandemic period is a main step in order to better understand and prepare to future pandemics.
Introduction and objectives. Coinciding with the recent implementation in Italy of the "Directive 2010/63/EU, regarding the protection of animals used for scientific pur-poses", the Authors would like to analyse the topic of the introduction of ethical com-mittees for animal experimentation in Italy. This paper furthermore aims to underline some critical aspects concerning the actions taken by Italian institutions to comply with the provisions of EU.Results and discussion. The implementation of the recent Italian law (Decreto Legisla-tivo n. 26 on 4 March 2014 Implementation of the Directive 2010/63/EU on the protec-tion of animals used for scientific purposes) leans towards a restrictive interpretation of the European provisions about composition and responsibilities of "Ethical Committee for Animal Experimentation". In the composition of the bodies mentioned, we note a tendency to restrict the composition to few professional figures contemplated by Ital-ian law, without guaranteeing the independence of each committee; also, an absence of hierarchical relationship between a research institution and his committee is apparent. Moreover, a critical aspect is the lack of decision-making powers of these new organisms in terms of ethical evaluation of protocols and research projects.Conclusions. What EU legislation imposes on the member states is to set up an animal-welfare body (art. 26). This represents a strong incentive for Italy to follow the steps of many other European Countries, where ad hoc ethical committees have been working for a long time. The proper functioning of these bodies may contribute to guarantee the safety and welfare of the animals inside the laboratories, and to balance the protection of animal life and the interests of research.
World War I hit Italy from different perspectives. The one here described under an historical point of view regards the health of military and civil population, with a special focus on infective diseases. The 20th Century was the fuse of degeneration and eugenetics theories; which grew in the melée of war and technological innovation. Indeed, war is interestingly depicted as an entity capable of emphasizing the differences between those who wore a uniform and those who did not. As a matter of fact, some infections spared the civilian population while others felt with greater vengeance on this subgroup. Moreover, the incidence of different feared diseases was brought back to the rates of the late 19th Century. Thanks to a statistician, Giorgio Mortara (1885-1967) the impact of infective diseases in Wolrd War I on Italian demography is well established. Moreover, different military and civilian sources contribute to enrich the picture of the consequences of war. In conclusion World War I could see considered as a litmus paper. The litmus paper of successes and failures of italian public health management to face new medical challenges exacerbated by the crisis.
World War I bursted Italy from different perspectives. The one here described under an historical point of view reguards health of military and civil population, with a special focus on infective diseases. The 20th Century was the fuse of degeneration and eugenetics theories; which grew in the meliè of war and technological innovation. Indeed, war is interestingly depicted as an entity capable of blooming the differences between those who wore a uniform and those who do not. As a matter of fact, some infection spared the civilian population while others felt with greater vengeance on this subgroup. Moreover, the incidence of different feared diseases was brought back to the rates of the late 19th Century. Thanks to a statistician, Giorgio Mortara (1885-1967) the impact of infective diseases in Wolrd War I on Italian demography is well established. Moreover, different military and civilian contribute to enrich the picture of the consequences of war. In conclusion World War I could see considered as a litmus paper. The litmus paper of successes and failures of italian public health management to face new medical challenges exacerbated by the crisis.
Fin dai tempi antichi, il rimedio più frequentemente prescritto per il trattamento della tubercolosi era una permanenza in un clima temperato. Dalla metà del XIX secolo alla metà del XX, l'Europa ha visto lo sviluppo di sanatori, dove i pazienti hanno potuto beneficiare di passeggiate all'aria aperta, esercizio fisico e una dieta equilibrata. Inoltre, l'istituzionalizzazione e l'isolamento dei pazienti ritenuti contagiosi rimane una delle misure più efficaci per il controllo di questo tipo di infezione.Il primo sanatorio aperto in Germania nel 1854, mentre in Italia i primi esperimenti furono condotti all'inizio del 20 ° secolo. A quel tempo, era opinione diffusa in Italia che la tubercolosi polmonare potesse migliorare in un clima marino. Al contrario, lo studioso Biagio Castaldi ha descritto gli effetti salubri dell'aria di montagna e ha documentato una minore incidenza di tubercolosi tra le popolazioni montane, che ha sostenuto l'ipotesi di una predisposizione ereditaria alla malattia. Nel 1898 furono fondati diversi comitati locali (Siena, Pisa, Padova) per combattere la tubercolosi. L'anno seguente, questi hanno dato origine alla Lega Italiana (Lega Italiana) con il patrocinio del Re d'Italia, che ha contribuito a promuovere l'intervento statale nella costruzione di sanatori.The pioneer of the institution of dedicated facilities for the treatment of tuberculosis was Edoardo Maragliano in Genoa in 1896. A few years later, in 1900, the first specialised hospital, with a capacity of 100 beds, was built in Budrio in a non-mountainous area, the aim being to treat patients within their habitual climatic environment. In the following years, institutes were built in Bologna, Livorno, Rome, Turin and Venice. A large sanatorium for the treatment of working-class patients was constructed in Valtellina by the fascist government at the beginning of the century, in the wake of studies by Eugenio Morelli on the climatic conditions of the pine woods in Sortenna di Sondalo, which he deemed to be ideal. In December 1916, the Italian Red Cross inaugurated the first military sanatorium in the "Luigi Merello" maritime hospice in Bergeggi (SV) to treat soldiers affected by curable tuberculosis. In 1919, a specific law mandated a 10-fold increase in funding for the construction of dispensaries and sanatoria. As a result, the Provincial Anti-tuberculosis Committees were transformed into Consortiums of municipal and provincial authorities and anti-TB associations, with the aim of coordinating the action to be undertaken. In 1927, the constitution of an Anti-tuberculosis Consortium in every province became a legal obligation.Nonostante questa crescita delle misure sociali e sanitarie, la tubercolosi in Italia ha continuato a costituire un grave problema di salute pubblica fino all'avvento degli antibiotici negli anni '50. Fino a quel momento, il sanatorio ha svolto un ruolo di primo piano nel trattamento della tubercolosi in Italia, come nel resto d'Europa.
