The Lion's Republic Fight Against the Plague
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Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Bra şov • Vol. 6 (51) - 2009 Series 6: Medical Sciences Supplement – Proceeding of The IV th Balkan Congress of History of Medicine THE LION’S REPUBLIC FIGHT AGAINST THE PLAGUE ORIGINATING FROM THE LEVANTE VENETO G. ZANCHIN 1 Abstract: Until its end the Serenissima constantly supported the contagionist hypothesis, playing for all the span of its history the role of pioneer and model for the measures adopted to prevent the diffusion of epidemics. The sanitary preoccupations of the Republic were particularly directed upon people and goods arriving from the territories of the Ottoman Empire from where periodic bouts of plague originated. The examination of the written and iconographic primary sources here considered puts in evidence relevant aspects of the Venetian fight against the plague Key words: Republic of Venice, plague, epidemics, lazaret, quarantine, osella. The experience made during the “tainted” pesthouse, to become later the epidemics of the XIV th century contributed “old” lazaret (Fig. 1 ), the first institution to to the affirmation of the contagionist be established for this purpose. hypothesis of which Venice remained In this last case, according to the vigorous supporter for the entire period of habitual formula, the location was decreed its history [5] as “ healthy (thanks to God) and free from This theory maintained that the cause of any doubt of contagious illness ”: a “fede di the plague, identified with the so called sanità” that is a specific written licence “miasma”, corrupting the air and decom- bearing this statement, was released in posing the bodies, could attach from an such a condition by the local sanitary individual to another, or even adhere itself officers. to clothing or to objects, thereafter passing Otherwise, only when the prescribed to whoever touched them. period of the quarantine was terminated Accordingly, systematic measures of without evidence of the plague the “ libera isolation, such as sanitary cordons, quaran- prattica ” (that is free entrance) was tine and disinfection were taken [1] granted. Even today in the “new” lazaret In 1423, the Senate ruled out to assign are still visible the “graffiti” done mostly the monastery of Saint Mary of Nazareth during the sixteen century by people kept to the isolation of people affected by the in isolation for such a long time. plague. This was thus transformed into the 1 Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Padua Medical School. 182 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Bra şov • Vol. 6 (51) - 2009 • Series VI Fig. 1. The Old Lazaret “Lazzaretto Vecchio”. Established into the Venetian lagoon in 1423, it was the first institution to be devoted to the isolation of people affected by plague. The sanitary preoccupations of the the merchandise, but from a sanitary Republic were particularly directed upon standpoint two large groups were distin- people and goods originating from the guished: “susceptible” and “not susceptible”. territories of the Ottoman Empire, with Under the name of “susceptible” goods were which Venice maintained commercial ties encompassed those items that were of utmost relevance and where the plague considered to be able to transmit the was constitutive. contagion; to the contrary, “not susceptible” On the terrestrial side, at the border were those incapable of such a transmission. between Dalmatia and the Ottoman These included materials that by their Empire, a pesthouse at Cattaro was nature seemed to retain more easily the constructed and other pesthouses were “contagious miasma” such as wool, built in the Venetian possessions in the clothes, rags, skins, feathers, rope; “Levante” (the Venetian word for the whereas, within the first group, were listed territories facing the oriental Medite- (quotation from a XVI th century Venetian rranean sea), to control the busy traffic document) “ all of the lumber, wines, oils, with the Turkish domains, from where cured and fresh meats, cheeses, metals, periodic bouts of epidemics originated. jewellery, money ”, and further on The measures of prevention against the “animals, without leash and harness, importation of the contagion included the however; except dog, cat, sheep, mutton disinfection of objects. The treatments because these sorts of animals are able to varied according to the quality and value of propagate contagion ”. G. ZANCHIN : The Lion’s Republic fight against the plague originating from the Levante Veneto183 Disinfection of the goods took place (Public Attorney) Lorenzo Alugara on the with the “sborro”, that is the exposure to successful containment of the plague air and sun; or with heating, immersion in which reached the lagoon on an Ottoman sea water, spraying with vinegar, “perfu- ship in 1793 [6]. ming” that is with fumigation which aimed The way we found it is rather curious. at neutralizing the miasma substituting it Since the year 1521, the Venetian Doge with the “fumes” of aromatic woods. used to have coined every year a special The finding of a manuscript notebook of silver medal, called “osella”, commemo- the end of XVIII th century of medical content rating the most relevant events of the allowed us the examination of an Serenissima Republic [3]. unpublished report contained within, that Being interested on the impact of the treats the problem of the propagation of plague on the Venetian traditions, our contagion, in relation with the closely research brought us to identify, among the attached problem regarding “susceptible” 275 osellas coined until the end of the and “not susceptible” goods (Fig. 2 ). Such a Venetian State, five occasions in which the distinction, obviously with reference to the coins were referring to the plague [4]. pre-Pasteurian era, possessed remarkable importance. Indeed, in the case a good was classified as susceptible, it became necessary to adopt the above mentioned measures, all of which had noteworthy direct and indirect costs. From the verbatim citations, the author is clearly identifiable as Ignazio Lotti, head physician of the Venetian Magistrate of Maritime Health, known for his endeavours at diffusing the practice of variolization in the domains of the Serenissima Republic [2]. Fig.2. Front cover of De multis rebus et de Fig.3. Coined in 1793 under the Doge quibusdam aliis (1812), unpublished Ludovico Manin (first), this “osella” manuscript by Ignazio Lotti, Protomedico del commemorates the successful prevention of Magistrato di Sanità Marittima di Venezia. plague epidemics in the port of Venice. On the Private collection. second, in the forefront we see the Vierge, encircled by the inscription Nec nuper defeci A second important document, (Even in this distress I did not abandon you). In preserved in the State Archive of Venice, the background, the little church identifying the will be also examined in this context. It is a island of Poveglia is well reconignizable, as detailed report by the “Avvocato fiscale” well as a ship put in quarantine. 184 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Bra şov • Vol. 6 (51) - 2009 • Series VI This rather unknown iconography appeared surviving crew. indeed as a relevant document of the popular The examination of the above faith, since in most instances a religious symbol- mentioned primary sources put in evidence lism is prominent. However, the picture of the last relevant aspects of the Venetian fight osella “of the plague series” (Fig. 3), struck in against the plague. Indeed, until its end the 1793, makes a reference not only to the Virgin Serenissima constantly supported the protection, but also to factual measures of isola- contagionist hypothesis as witnessed by tion, clearly quoting a very interesting episode of the establishment in its lagoon of the first a successful fight against the plague, the detailed lazaret since 1423, playing for all the span report of which we were then able to identify in of its history the role of pioneer and model the State Archives of the Republic in Venice. for the measures adopted to prevent the On a “Tartanella”, a little commercial diffusion of epidemics. ship, with Ottoman flag and a crew of thirty people, a case of bubonic plague References developed with “ petacchie nere, antraci, buboni”. [1]. Bergdolt K., La peste nera e la fine del Strict preventive measure were medioevo . Edizioni Piemme, Casale immediately taken “ to stop the infection in Monferrato 1997. the same place ” in the Poveglia’s canal, [2]. Lotti I., De multis rebus et de that for this purpose was get rid of any quibusdam aliis . Unpublished other ship. The crew, put ashore, was manuscript (Private collection) 1812. divided in affected and in suspect groups, [3]. Paolucci R., La zecca di Venezia . which were held in separate locations. An Paolucci editore, Padova 1991. internal ward of soldiers was established [4]. Zanchin G, Mainardi F, Dainese F, on the island; around it an external circle Maggioni F. La pestilenza nelle of armed ships was put. As a whole, “oselle”, monetazione celebrativa della internal and external wards were formed Repubblica di Venezia. Atti del XLI by one hundred forty individuals, plus nine Congresso Nazionale della Società ships and two boats. Everything -food, Italiana di Storia della Medicina. water, garments- that was necessary for the Mesagne (Br) 2002, p. 145-154. well-being of the crew was brought ashore [5]. Zanchin G. Health and disease in the and continuous fires were kept alive to relationships between Venice and purify the air from the contagious miasma. Istanbul . Proceedings of the 38th At the end, twenty crew members International Congress on the History survived and the plague was successfully of Medicine. Istanbul 2002, p. 285 contained within the island. The feelings of [6]. Archivio di Stato di Venezia, gratitude for the Republic are well Provveditori alla Sanità , filza 251. documented by a letter wrote to the Venice health officers by the captain and the .