Two slides signed by Filippo Pacini and preserved at the old section of the “Vincenzo Pinali” Medical Library of Padua University

The very rich old section of the “Vincenzo Pinali” Medical Library of the former Faculty of Medicine, University of Padua, keeps only few “objects” beyond its institutional purpose. Among the scientifically most interesting ones, two “relics” of Pacini can be mentioned. They are two slides equipped with a light green label on both the surfaces and with the inscription “Method of Filippo Pacini” and the signature “Filippo Pacini” on the recto. On the recto and verso there are also information concerning the place and the date of realization and a description of the preparation, understandably concise. The first slide, particularly well preserved, is kept between two glass panes in a little frame and it is entitled “Leucociti della Leucocitemia”, the coordinates “Florence, 12 Dec: 1864”, the signature and a schematic instruction to the correct reading of the preparation. On the verso Pacini decided to report some news about the “source” of cells. The second slide, stored in a metal box, is entitled “Ematococco”, the indications “Florence, 19 June 1865” and, in addition to the signature, basic but exhaustive information about the product. The methods of acquisition and conservation of precious relics are finally reconstructed. Considering the importance of Pacini’s preparations and their presence in different Institutions, we propose to take a census of them, as the basis of a virtual museum dedicated to the great Pistoiese

Occupational markers and pathology of the castrato singer Gaspare Pacchierotti (1740\u20131821)

Following the birth of modern opera in Italy in 1600, the demand for soprano voices grew up and the prepuberal castration was carried out to preserve the young male voice into adult life. Among the castrati, Gaspare Pacchierotti was probably one of the most famous. The remains of Pacchierotti were exhumed for the first time in 2013, for a research in the reconstruction of his biological profile, to understand the secrets behind his sublime voice and how the castration influenced the body. All the findings discovered, through anthropological and Computed Tomography analyses, are consistent both with the occupational markers of a singer and with the hormonal effects of castration. The erosion of cervical vertebrae, the insertion of respiratory muscles and muscles of the arms can be an effect of the bodily position and exercise during singing. The hormonal effect of castration were related to osteoporosis and to the disorders of spine

New Interpretation of Galileo\u2019s Arthritis and Blindness

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) complained of several disorders during his life, the most important of which were chronic arthritic pains and bilateral blindness. These symptoms might result from an immune rheumatic disease, namely reactive arthritis (urethritis, uveitis, arthritis), when Galileo started suffering with an episode of fever in June 1593. Padua University owns the fifth lumbar vertebra of the great scientist and we performed a series of anthropological and radiographic analyses on it. The anthropological measurements showed that the shape of the vertebra was normal as to exclude significant diseases. The study through radiography and Computed Tomography showed only a mild arthrosis documented by small osteophytosis. Eventually the disease evolved into blindness with a pannus restricting the pupils (uveitis). These findings support the occurrence of reactive arthritis. Alternatively to urethral infection, Galileo could have suffered from Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in 1593, which was complicated by reactive arthritis a couple of weeks later. Thereafter he complained several episodes of recurrent arthritis, which eventually culminated into uveitis and bilateral blindness

A glimpse into the early origins of medieval anatomy through the oldest conserved human dissection (Western Europe, 13^th c. A.D.)

INTRODUCTION: Medieval autopsy practice is very poorly known in Western Europe, due to a lack of both descriptive medico-surgical texts and conserved dissected human remains. This period is currently considered the dark ages according to a common belief of systematic opposition of Christian religious authorities to the opening of human cadavers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The identification in a private collection of an autopsied human individual dated from the 13(th) century A.D. is an opportunity for better knowledge of such practice in this chrono-cultural context, i.e. the early origins of occidental dissections. A complete forensic anthropological procedure was carried out, completed by radiological and elemental analyses. RESULTS: The complete procedure of this body opening and internal organs exploration is explained, and compared with historical data about forensic and anatomical autopsies from this period. During the analysis, a red substance filling all arterial cavities, made of mercury sulfide (cinnabar) mixed with vegetal oil (oleic and palmitic acids) was identified; it was presumably used to highlight vascularization by coloring in red such vessels, and help in the preservation of the body. CONCLUSIONS: Of particular interest for the description of early medical and anatomical knowledge, this “human preparation” is the oldest known yet, and is particularly important for the fields of history of medicine, surgery and anatomical practice

Il teatro dei corpi. Guida all'esposizione

La grande esposizione Il teatro dei corpi, allestita presso la Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana di Venezia per presentare in anteprima le grandi tavole anatomiche a colori fatte realizzare da Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente (1533 ca.-1619) negli ultimi decenni del Cinquecento, ha imposto di prendere in considerazione l\u2019iconografia anatomica del XVI Secolo. Come ogni autopsia \ue8 un "esperimento" unico e irripetibile cos\uec, dall\u2019analisi delle principali opere anatomiche corredate di un apparato iconografico, emerge che gli illustratori - denominazione che preferiamo ad artisti - ingaggiati dai diversi anatomisti utilizzarono, talvolta inventandoli, \u201clinguaggi\u201d grafici diversi. I rapporti tra anatomisti ed illustratori sono di grande interesse e il binomio anatomista-illustratore evoca un circolo virtuoso che ebbe positive ricadute sia in campo scientifico che artistico. N\ue9 deve distrarre dai frutti della collaborazione l'annosa querelle su chi abbia dimostrato per primo l\u2019interesse per il corpo umano e, soprattutto, su chi per primo abbia avuto il coraggio di guardare al suo interno. Per noi \ue8 sufficientemente interessante notare che al tempo stesso due categorie di curiosi presero la decisione, affatto banale, di guardare in profondit\ue0 nel microcosmo. Conseguenza inevitabile di due diversi modi di guardare, di due diversi modi di comunicare, fu quello che potremmo definire "duello" tra la parola e il segno, la contrapposizione di metodi diversi tesi al raggiungimento di un unico obiettivo, durata sino alla cosiddetta rivoluzione vesaliana