Medicine and psychiatry in Western culture: Ancient Greek myths and modern prejudices

The origins of Western culture extensively relate to Ancient Greek culture. While many ancient cultures have contributed to our current knowledge about medicine and the origins of psychiatry, the Ancient Greeks were among the best observers of feelings and moods patients expressed towards medicine and toward what today is referred to as 'psychopathology'. Myths and religious references were used to explain what was otherwise impossible to understand or be easily communicated. Most ancient myths focus on ambiguous feelings patients may have had towards drugs, especially psychotropic ones. Interestingly, such prejudices are common even today

Medicina e filosofia nella tradizione dell'Occidente

I vari saggi considerano aspetti del rapporto tra medicina e filosofia nella tradizione occidentale, dagli Antichi a alla contemporaneit

The history of the hypophysis : the pioneering studies of Edoardo Gemelli

Research into the embryological development of organs has been of relevant interest for contemporary medicine since the 19th century. In particular, some organs, such as the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, were deemed not to have a specific function. They were thus considered as rudimental organs, a mere residue of evolution. Edoardo Gemelli was an Italian doctor and friar, who was among the first to study this topic, under the supervision of Professor Camillo Golgi in Italy from 1903 to 1908. He gave a detailed description of the embryological development of the pituitary gland in mammals, also unveiling the functional role of the gland in water balance and growth. He addressed and tried to correctly embody the relevance of Darwin's theory of evolution, which was spreading following its publication in 1859. His findings, herein reported, are thus of both scientific and anthropological relevance for their contribution to the understanding of the morphofunctional nature of the hypophysis and of the theory of evolution, respectively

Radiological evaluation of ancient Egyptian mummies in Italian museums

Paleopathology and paleoradiology both provide a wealth of relevant data about the health status of ancient populations and give insights concerning the body conservation techniques adopted (mummification). Many mummified human remains from ancient Egypt are stored in Italy. During the first half of the 19th century, the work of Italian art collectors, antique dealers and merchants but, above all, Consuls, gave rise to a wide collection and import of ancient human remains. These remains enriched private and public collections and, consequently, Italian museums. The majority of the findings, which are the object of our study, comes from the vast collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Florence. The first of these mummies was already in Florence in the XVI century at the "Fonderia" of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and was sent to the Specola in 1775. The important group grew thanks mainly to the collection of Egyptian antiquities belonging to Giuseppe Nizzoli (Chancellor of the Austrian Consulate in Egypt) bought by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopoldo II in 1824 and the Jean-François Champollion and Ippolito Rosellini (from Pisa, the father of Italian Egyptology) discoveries and acquisitions in 1828-29 coming from the famous Franco-Tuscan Expedition to Egypt. This was further enriched by the archaeological findings of the two expeditions to Egypt done by Ernesto Schiaparelli (1884-85 and 1892-93), director of the Egyptian Museum of Florence from 1880 to 1894. Since the year 2000 the University of Pisa carried out a project, whose aim was to catalogue and examine these findings from a radiological point of view in order to support the paleopathological evaluation. Thirty-three complete mummies and thirteen body parts were surveyed and then submitted to complete radiological examination. CT was possible in a case, two other mummies were investigated through endoscopy and in one case histology was also carried out. Sex and age at death were determined for each specimen; embalming techniques, pathological conditions and post-mortem events were observed. X-rays also provide interesting egyptological data and paleopathological information. Following the example of studies performed on collections of Egyptian mummies in other countries, this work tries to reduce many gaps in the knowledge of Egyptian mummified human material preserved in Italy

Studio radiografico delle mummie antico egiziane dalla prima 'lastra' all'immagine 3D

Si illustra lo studio radiografico delle mummie antico egiziane. Giudicato meritevole di segnalazione e di premio per il contenuto scientifico espresso