Contents
😉 Welcome new and regular readers! The article “Girolamo Fracastoro: Contribution to Medicine” – about the life and scientific work of a Venetian physician, writer and research scientist in the field of medicine, geography, mathematics and astronomy. Lived: 1478-1553.
Girolamo Frakastoro
Girolamo lived and worked during the period of economic shifts and social upheavals – during the Renaissance (Renaissance). The scientist immortalized his name with two major medical works: the poem “On the French disease” and “On contagious diseases and treatment.”
The latter consists of three books. It covers not only the problems of epidemiology, but also microbiology and the clinic of infectious diseases.
According to Fracastoro, “contagium is a defeat that passes from one to the other.” Further, the author tries to speculatively establish the cause of any infection. He writes: “The reason is the essence of those particles inaccessible to our senses … which from now on we will call the seeds (embryos) of the contagia.”
According to the method of transmission of the infection, the author distinguishes three ways of infection:
- Direct contact.
- Direct and indirect (through the “hotbed”) contacts.
- Contact at a distance (through the air).
Having witnessed many epidemics that struck Italy and all of Europe at the end of the XNUMXth century (syphilis, plague, typhus, etc.), Fracastoro correctly describes the main symptoms of these diseases.
In the chapter “On contagious consumption,” Girolamo explains how a perfectly healthy person can get consumption “as a result of communication” and cohabitation with a consumptive or from a focus of infection. Changes in the lungs during consumption were obtained by him as a result of an autopsy.
Fracastoro – a fighter against epidemics
The scientist-researcher devotes the third book to the treatment of infectious diseases. Based on his extensive experience, which reflects the state of therapy in his era, Fracastoro provides a number of practical advice. He warns of the need for prompt medical attention.
Fracastoro is an advocate of personalized treatment. At the same time, he warns doctors to be careful in choosing the composition and dosage of the medicine.
In the treatment of “truly pestilence fevers,” the scientist attached particular importance to their prevention. With the spread of pestilences, he advises to set on fire everything and, first of all, things from the patient’s immediate environment.
In the essay “The Book of Concentric Circles or the Stars” (1538), the idea of using optical glasses for viewing celestial bodies was first expressed by Fracastoro.
The introductory article by I.E. Zabludovsky to the book of a Venetian physician. In it, the author gives a detailed analysis and assessment of the unique work. Defines its historical role in medical science, acquainting the reader with the development of the concept of infectious diseases since ancient times.
Zabludovsky refutes the opinion of P.V. Modestova, V.V. Favre and others who claim that Fracastoro was the founder of modern epidemiology, the creator of its scientific foundations.
Fracastoro’s knowledge of pathogenesis and the clinic of infectious diseases was limited to the era. They contain many elements of unrelenting scholasticism and direct fiction.
However, the scientist’s observations at the patient’s bedside, his extensive practical experience in the fight against epidemics, allowed him to summarize in his work all the information accumulated by his predecessors. He clarified the understanding of the mechanisms and ways of transmission of infectious diseases.
Monument to Girolamo Fracastoro in Verona, Italy
Significance of Fracastoro’s labor
The progressive significance of Fracastoro’s work lies in the creation of a scientific base for the subsequent systematic organization of the fight against epidemics. Therefore, it is correct to regard Fracastoro as an innovator in the doctrine of infectious diseases.
The translation of the work of Girolamo Fracastoro into Russian and its publication is a major achievement of scientists. A wide range of doctors, biologists, scientists of many specialties will appreciate the contribution made by the Venetian doctor to the treasury of world science.
Girolamo Frakastoro (1478-1553) and Michel Nostradamus (1503-1566) were contemporaries and very famous people. I believe they knew about each other and may have crossed paths. The French astrologer, doctor and pharmacist traveled a lot, and visited Italy as well.
The plague brought grief to the family of Nostradamus, he lost his wife and children. Girolamo, on the other hand, was involved in the fight against epidemics. Healer-pharmacist and scientist-epidemiologist had something to talk about.
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