Overcoming doubt in vaccinations. The end justifies the means?

Controversies and scepticism about vaccination have existed as vaccination itself. Today and yester-day, the authority of religious leaders has a fundamental role for convince members of their congregations to accept or reject vaccination. Our contribution tells of the stratagem used by the Italian doctor Luigi Sacco to make the faithful lean towards the vaccination using their faith as a means. The history of yesterday’s end of today opens a current debate on the role and responsibility of religion around vaccination practice. As COVID-19 vaccine mandates grow, so are requests for religious exemptions. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Multiple abnormalities in the skull of a prostitute. An autopsy report (1900)

OBJECTIVE: The study presents and comments on the publication of an autopsy report. CASE REPORT: In 1900 De Blasio published an article entitled "Multiple abnormalities in a prostitute's skull" in the "Journal of Psychiatry, Criminal Anthropology and related sciences". In this work De Blasio related anomalies at the cranial level to the presence of mental pathologies. The skull belonged to a 24-year-old prostitute who died of syphilitic hepatitis. In his article, De Blasio described the life of the woman, after which he gave a macroscopic description of the skull. De Blasio believed that the subject's amoral behavior was caused by the anomalous shape of the subject's skull. CONCLUSION: From the study, it is evident that the school of criminal anthropology influenced De Blasio's autopsy medical practice, and it is interesting to note the interpretation of anthropologists of the time who tried to describe the link between physical and behavioral anomalies

Radiology of Mummies

In the past, autoptic examinations were usually performed for research. This type of examination, for obvious reasons, did not appeal to paleopathologists as these procedures potentially damaged the finds destined to musealization. Since the discovery of X-ray, radiology has been used to study mummies as a noninvasive technique. The radiology of mummies allows us to discover pathologies, to elaborate on the type of ritual mummification for the artificial embalming, to comprehend the diagenetic process that guaranteed a natural mummification, or to conclude anthropological identification. We present a review on the latest studies on mummies that have shown that the radiological approach has been essential to conduct research

Defects-related early childhood caries as hints of possible maternal–fetal health issues: Evidence from medieval northern Italy

Developmental defects of enamel (DDE) are important markers of stress as they arise from the disruption of ameloblastic activity during enamel matrix secretion and mineralization. Defects on the crowns of the deciduous dentition provide insights into maternal–fetal health because they can emerge during intrauterine development as a result of gestational issues. The presence of previous defective enamel represents one of the most predisposing causes of caries development. Thus, circular caries on the deciduous dentition are considered an indicator of stress because of their ascertained relation with dental enamel defects. In bioarchaeological analysis, these lesions allow us to deepen the question of maternal–fetal health issues in the ancient period. Here, we present evidence of defects-related early childhood caries in three infants from a medieval cemetery in northern Italy. The findings in the dentitions of the three subjects were investigated with a multi-analytical approach, including macroscopic examination, microscopic observation, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and histological sections. In the specimens analyzed, the lesions observed in the dentitions appeared to have arisen during the fetal period and then protracted in the postnatal life, suggesting the implication of in utero environment and maternal health in the etiology of defects

San Martino di Lundo (Trento) Grave 1. Case study of an individual introducing possibilities markers of horse riding

It is here presented the case of a male adult skeletal individual of around 30-35 years of age, who was buried between the 5th and 6th century A.D. in the oratory of Monte San Martino (Trento). The markers of habitual and occupational stress have been confronted with those related to the so called “knight syndrome”. This analysis includes also the study of the deficiency and paleopathological conditions of the individual, in order to define if the entire biological profile of the subject could be compatible with repeated horse riding activit

Green Pass versus Health Faiths. To travel in confidence with public health

The Green Pass (EU Digital Covid Certificate) was reconfirmed on June 13th 2022 by the European Parliament as an indispensable tool for coordinating travel safety in Europe. The subject is still debated today, although similar regulations have existed in the Old World since the 15th century. In this letter, i want to briefly recall the means used in the past to regulate the movement of people in different countries, means not different from those used toda

Bioarcheology in northwest Italy. Our experience

In this letter we report our experience in the bioarchaeological field during the last 10 years. We would like to focus the attention on the importance of interdisciplinary approach, in order to better comprehend archaeological record and the history of our territory