Report on the 8Th Congress of the International Society of the History
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[From Trattato di Christoforo Acosta Africano, Venetia, 1585.] EDITORIAL REPORT UPON THE EIGHTH CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE, ROME, 1930* THE Eighth Congress of the tion around three walls of the chamber. International Society of the The fourth, that on the side from History of Medicine was held which the Pope was to enter was ■ at Rome between the 22nd occupied by a small throne. The Pope and the 27th of September, 1930. entered near this platform and ac- At the Sixth Congress in 1927 at companied by Dr. Capparoni and Ley den-Amsterdam, Rome was se- one or two aides, made the circuit lected as the place of meeting of the of the chamber, having a few words Seventh Congress, but a Reunion at of conversation with many of those Oslo in 1928 was considered as a present. As he approached each group Congress and called the Seventh so the visitors would kneel and kiss the that the Rome Congress was actually hand he presented. When he had the Eighth of this organization. passed along, the line would rise. The opening meeting of this Con- Having made the circuit in this man- gress was held in the great hall of the ner, he sat down on the throne and Palace of Senators at the Capitol talked to those present for about (Figs. 1 and 2). This meeting was half an hour, the Congressists remain- attended with much ceremony and ing standing. He spoke first in French, was made the occasion of short ad- but upon asking what the official dresses by the Minister of Education, language of the Congress was and the Governor of Rome, and the being told it was Italian, gave the President of the Executive Com- balance of his address in that language. mittee of the Society, Doctor Pietro Those who understood, said that his Capparoni. remarks had to do with certain fea- At 12:30 p.m. on September 22, the tures of medical history and that they members of the Congress and their showed much learning and much families were accorded a special au- sympathy. For formal audiences of dience by Pope Pius xi. They assem- this kind the dress is prescribed, and bled at the Bronze Door of the though it was the middle of the day Vatican and were ushered into a great the men had to appear in swallow hall in which, with a few words of tailed coats and white vests. instruction from an executive, they At 5:30 p.m . on September 22, the arranged themselves in single forma- Governor of Rome received those in * Published by permission of the Surgeon-General, United States Navy. attendance upon the Congress at As the writer, aside from English, the Palazzo dei Conservatori or Palace understands only a little German and of the Town Council. This and the less French of the foreign tongues, it was decided that it was impossible to give even a meager idea of the ground covered by the large number of papers presented. At 2:30 p.m . on this date (Septem- ber 23), the members of the congress were gathered into motor busses and started upon a trip to Lake Ncmi to visit the Ship of Caligula. This Lake is about twenty miles from Rome in a southeasterly direction. The lake is 1045 feet above sea level, three and one-half miles in circumference, and no feet deep. It is volcanic in origin. The town of Genzano from which the descent to the lake is made is situated some 500 feet above the lake surface. The Italian Government has un- covered one of the two ancient boats known to rest on the bottom of this little lake. By drainage the surface of the lake has been lowered 50 to 75 feet which permitted of elevating the nearby Museo Benito Mussolini, to boat upon a cradle. Here it is in which the Congressists were also process of being repaired, so that it admitted, contain innumerable ob- may be drawn out to a higher level jects of art collected and purchased. and put under cover for preservation. This reception was quite an enjoyable Visitors were not allowed on board nor and profitable one and ended the could they go further towards the stern program of the Congress for its first than about the mid-portion of the day. vessel. She was of considerable size, On September 23 at 9:00 a .m . the evidently constructed of the pine three sections into which the program wood of the vicinity.1 The ship was was divided met together and listened without any means of propulsion or of to a report by Professor E. Jeanselme steering. The hull was sheathed outside upon the question of “How Europe with lead held in place by large-headed protected herself against leprosy in copper nails covered with the same the Middle Ages.” This report was metal (lead). Many interesting pieces discussed rather fully and at 11 :oo of equipment are preserved on shore a .m . the three sections (a , b , and c) presumably for restoration to the met separately for the reading of the respective papers assigned to each. 1 See article entitled “The Roman Ships of Nemi and the Wood Used in Their Con- In carrying through the work of the struction 2000 Years Ago” by Dr. Aldo Congress, some seven or eight lan- Pavari in Americcm Forests and Forest Life, guages, including Latin, were used. September, 1930. vessel when in her final position. and listened to the report by Dr. A. Bronze lions’ heads held the anchoring Castiglioni, “The cultural relations tackle by means of large rings behind in respect to medicine and the natural their half-closed teeth. The anchor, sciences between Italy and other much lead piping and many terra- European States during the 16th and cotta slabs and other equipment placed 17th centuries.” After a discussion of on the boat over 2000 years ago, are this paper, the Congress at 1130 there to be seen. The lead piping adjourned to the Regia Biblioteca Cas- bears the name of Caligula (Emperor anatense, where there were on display 37-41 a .d .). “But these floating pal- manuscripts, incunabula and many aces are generally ascribed to Tiberius, rare books connected with medicine. his predecessor (14-37a .d .).’’This boat The afternoon of September 24 is not nearly so interesting as are the was devoted to the papers of the three two Viking ships of Oslo, though sections up to 4:30, at which hour a almost 1000 years older. It does show visit was made to the Pio Istituto S. hull construction of 2000 years ago. Spirito in Sassia and the visitors were However, the household equipment for shown through the Lancisiana Library the time of Tiberius is well known and the new scientific laboratories of from other sources. This vessel was the hospital. only a houseboat, while the Norwe- At 8:30 p.m . on this date the official gian ships are actually seagoing ships delegates to the Congress, about 100 of the 9th and 10th centuries. in all, were entertained at dinner by On September 24 the sections met Professor Pietro Capparoni, President together in the Corsini Palace where of the Executive Committee of the all the scientific sessions were held, Congress, at the Casina dello Rosa. The occasion was a pleasant one. Monastery’s services to medicine dur- There was much good Italian food ing the Dark Ages. (See Fig. 3.) The and very little speech-making. members of the Congress were shown through the Monastery and given an excellent luncheon. After this the official delegates to the Congress met to elect the next President of the International Society of the History of Medicine. Professor D. Giordano of Venice was elected to this office.1 The members then started on the return trip, arriving at Rome about 8:30 P.M. The 9:00 a .m . meeting of the Con- gress on September 26 took place in the library of the National Medico- Pharmacological Institute Serono on the outskirts of the city. The seance was opened by a report “Upon the necessity of making obligatory the study of the history of medicine in the universities.” This was given by Professor Ladislaw Szumoswski and was followed by a discussion. At 11 :oo o’clock the members of the Congress were shown through the institution, returning to their hotels for luncheon. At 2:30 p.m . the program was continued at Palazzo Corsini by the reading of papers in the several sections. The 25th of September was entirely At 5:00 p.m . the members of the devoted to a trip to the ancient Abbey Congress met at the monument of of Monte Cassino. This was founded Victor Emanuel 11 to place a wreath by St. Benedict in 529 and according upon the tomb of an Unknown War- to Baedeker was famed as a seat of rior buried at the base of this gigantic learning through the Middle Ages. equestrian statue. (See Fig. 4.) It is now an ecclesiastical educational At 5:30 p.m . the program for Sep- establishment. The town of Cassino tember 26 was concluded by a visit is 86 miles from Rome and the Abbey to the Palais des Filippini where a is situated on a mountain some 2000 reception was given for those visiting feet above sea level and overlooks the the Congress by the President of the beautiful valley in which the town is Reale Societa Romana Di Storia situated.