Genghis Khan's death (AD 1227): An unsolvable riddle or simply a pandemic disease?

Abstract The article examines Genghis Khan's death from the historico-medical perspective. Although several etiologies have been proposed over the years, most of these at a closer look appear to be later inventions by historians. A reassessment of the available evidence suggests instead bubonic plague as the most likely clinical scenario. Genghis Khan's death is also a reflection on the impact of pandemic diseases on leadership in ancient times as well as nowadays

The History of Pertussis: from an Ancient Scourge to a Contemporary Health Burden

The present article offers a historical overview on pertussis (whooping cough) by analysing the ancient epidemic manifestations of the disease and the path towards the discovery of an effective vaccine against it. It also highlights some recent challenges posed to public health by this disease

The presence of Homo in Sicily: evidence, hypotheses and uncorroborated ideas. An archaeo-anthropological perspective

This article summarises the main findings and data on the ancient peopling of the Mediterranean island of Sicily through an archaeo-anthropological perspective. The hypothesis surrounding the presence of the Lower Palaeolithic in Sicily with more ancestral species of Homo is also extensively reviewed and it is explained why there are not sufficient elements to maintain it. Finally, future multidisciplinary proposals are made to fill the gap on Sicilian cave archaeology

BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL AND PALEOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF A BURIAL FROM THE LATE ROMAN NECROPOLIS OF PIANOTTA DI CALATABIANO (CT, SICILY)

This contribution focuses on the human osteological remains recovered from a tomb in the necropolis of Contrada Pianotta di Calatabiano (Catania, eastern Sicily)

Osteoporosis and vertebral trabecular bone health: an historico-anthropological perspective

This brief review article aims to recapitulate the history of osteoporosis from the most ancient observations to the current clinical definition, by offering a perspective on trabecular bone health and degeneration, which has become of paramount important both in clinical, radiological and biological anthropological studies

The Evolution of Diagnostic Techniques in the Paleopathology of Tuberculosis: A Scoping Review

Tuberculosis (TB) is an ancient chronic infectious disease that remains a global health concern. In human remains, the most common and characteristic clinical signs are the skeletal modifications involving the spine, such as in Pott’s disease. Diagnosing TB in ancient human remains is challenging. Therefore, in this systematic review, the authors investigated the studies assessing molecular diagnosis of Pott’s disease in ancient human remains with the intention to survey the literature, map the evidence, and identify gaps and future perspectives on TB in paleopathology. Our systematic review offers a full contextualization of the history of Pott’s disease in ancient times. Our search strategy was performed between August 2022 and March 2023. The authors initially identified 340 records, and 74 studies were finally included and assessed for qualitative analysis. Due to non-specific clinical signs associated with TB, how best to diagnose tuberculosis in human remains still represents a central point. Nevertheless, ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis, lipid biomarkers, and spoligotyping might be extremely useful tools in the study of TB in human remains. Moreover, we propose the extraction and study of immune response genes involved in innate and adaptive immunity versus Mycobacterium spp. as an innovative and vastly overlooked approach in TB paleopathology. Complementary methodologies should be integrated to provide the best approach to the study of TB in human remains

The Titan Submersible Tragedy: physiopathology of the death mechanism and the necessity of prevention for Deep Sea Explorations

This paper examines the physiopathology of death in the tragedy of the Titan submersible in the light of knowledge on barotrauma and established forensic literature. It also offers practical views on preventive measures against such public health risks. The aim of the work is to reconstruct from a medico-legal point of view the plausible manner of death considering the location and the high depth in the sea reached by the submersible. The case shows the significant environmental risks related to the marine environment at great depths, such as barotrauma and hypothermia, emphasizing the need to prevent these events with strict and suitable safety measures

Sudden death due to fulminant lymphocytic myocarditis with atypical prodromal symptoms

Diagnosis of myocarditis is complex because it is not always preceded by clear symptoms. We report the case of a woman who died suddenly. Autopsy and histopathological investigations revealed a lymphocytic myocarditis. Clinical history showed the patient went to the hospital some days before for joint pain and low-grade fever

Dino Buzzati’s 50th death anniversary: An appraisal of medicine and infectivology’s influence on his literary production

Background and aim: This paper, in the 50th anniversary of the author’s death, examines the overall impact and influence of medicine, in particular of infectious diseases, on the literary production of Italian writer and novelist Dino Buzzati (1906-1972). Methods: Analysis of literary sources and historical study. Results and conclusions: Buzzati’s literary world is great fun for the reader, being both intriguing and anxiety forming at the same time. One finishes reading his books only to discover the one truth which overturns everything that seemed to be true. In particular, in his short stories, which stem mostly from episodes taken from everyday life, the plot suddenly comes to life. The atmosphere becomes surreal, and in a moment the incredible happens. Behind the apparent lightness of the fairytale narrative there lies hidden the important issues addressed by the author. He uses the hospital as a metaphor for a categorised life, in which we are at risk of no longer being masters of ourselves, in which we suffer a continuous steady drip that makes us head downwards day after day, floor after floor. We will come back up, but not today, tomorrow perhaps, or at the latest, the day after tomorrow. Corte on the second floor hopes, and screams to give strength to his hope, that he will soon return to the top, towards the seventh floor. (www.actabiomedica.it)