Opuscolo Filippo Pacini
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09 Piqueras.Qxp
PERSPECTIVES INTERNATIONAL MICROBIOLOGY (2007) 10:217-226 DOI: 10.2436/20.1501.01.30 ISSN: 1139-6709 www.im.microbios.org Microbiology: a dangerous profession? Mercè Piqueras President, Catalan Association for Science Communication (ACCC), Barcelona, Spain The history of science contains many cases of researchers eases in Minorca from the year 1744 to 1749 to which is pre- who have died because of their professional activity. In the fixed, a short account of the climate, productions, inhabi- field of microbiology, some have died or have come close to tants, and endemical distempers of that island (T. Cadell, D. death from infection by agents that were the subject of their Wilson and G. Nicol, London, 1751), which he dedicated to research (Table 1). Infections that had a lethal outcome were the Society of Surgeons of His Majesty’s Royal Navy. usually accidental. Sometimes, however, researchers inocu- Minorcan historian of science Josep M. Vidal Hernández has lated themselves with the pathogen or did not take preventive described and carefully analyzed Cleghorn’s work in measures against the potential pathogen because they wanted Minorca and his report [43]. According to Vidal, what to prove their hypotheses—or disprove someone else’s— Cleghorn describes is “tertian” fever, which was the name regarding the origin of the infection. Here is an overview of given at the time to fever caused by malaria parasites with a several episodes in the history of microbiology since the mid periodicity of 48 hours. In fact, Cleghorn used quinine to nineteenth century involving researchers or workers in fields treat tertian fever (i.e, malaria), which was not eradicated related to microbiology who have become infected. -
The Greatest Steps Towards the Discovery of Vibrio Cholerae
REVIEW 10.1111/1469-0691.12390 The greatest steps towards the discovery of Vibrio cholerae D. Lippi1 and E. Gotuzzo2 1) Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy and 2) Institute of Tropical Medicine, Peruvian University, C. Heredia, Lima, Peru Abstract In the 19th century, there was extensive research on cholera: the disease was generally attributed to miasmatic causes, but this concept was replaced, between about 1850 and 1910, by the scientifically founded germ theory of disease. In 1883, Robert Koch identified the vibrion for the second time, after Filippo Pacini’s discovery in 1854: Koch isolated the comma bacillus in pure culture and explained its mode of transmission, solving an enigma that had lasted for centuries. The aim of this article is to reconstruct the different steps towards the explanation of cholera, paying particular attention to the events occurring in the pivotal year 1854. Keywords: Filippo Pacini, history of cholera, John Snow, Robert Koch, vibrion Clin Microbiol Infect Corresponding author: D. Lippi, Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy E-mail: donatella.lippi@unifi.it seriously affected almost the whole world during many severe Introduction outbreaks in the course of the 19th century [2]. This diarrhoeal disease can lead to death by dehydration of an untreated In the 19th century, there was extensive research on cholera: patient within a few hours, and is extremely contagious in among the topics discussed were microbial vs. miasmatic causes communities without adequate sanitation. Even though it was and the relative merits of hygiene, sanitation and quarantine in hard to discriminate cholera from many other diseases controlling or preventing cholera’s spread, especially among associated with diarrhoea and vomiting, the first pandemic of European nations. -
The Scientific Background of the International Sanitary Conferences
The scientific background of the International Sanitary Conferences Norman Howard-Jones h 4 "1 Formerly Director, Division of Editorial and Reference Services, World Health Organization WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION GENEVA 1975 HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH, No. 1 This study originally appeared in WHO Chronicle, 1974, 28, 159-171, 229-247, 369-348, 414-426, 455-470, 495-508. 0 World Health Organization 1975 Publications of the World Health Organization enjoy copyright protection in accord- ance with provisions of Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. For rights of reproduction or translation of WHO publications in part or in toto, application should be made to the Division of Publications and Translation, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. The World Health Organization welcomes such applications. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Director-General of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The author alone is responsible for the views expressed in this publication. l1 CONTENTS Page Preface ............................... 7 Introduction ............................. 9 The first conference : Paris. 1851 .................... 12 The second conference : Paris. 1859 .............. ..... 17 The third conference : Constantinople. 1866 ............... 23 The fourth conference : Vienna. 1874 .................. 35 The fifth conference : Washington. 188 1 ............ ..... 42 The sixth conference : Rome. 1885 .............. ..... 46 The seventh conference . Venice. 1892 ............. ..... 58 The eighth conference : Dresden. 1893 ............ ..... 66 The ninth conference : Paris. 1894 ................... 71 The tenth conference: Venice. 1897 .............. ..... 78 The eleventh conference : Paris. 1903 ................. -
Chapter 3 Medicine in the 13-16Th Centuries Universities, Hospitals
Colophon Notes from the lessons on History of Medicine, taught to the students of the schools of medicine and nursing of the University of Cagliari, by Alessandro Riva, Professor Emeritus of Human Anatomy and of History of Medicine, Founder and Director (1991-2016) of the Museum of Clemente Susini's Anatomical Waxes. 2020 Edition. Reviewed and updated by Prof. Alessandro Riva ([email protected]) in collaboration with Dott. Francesco Loy. First Editorial reviewers: Francesca Testa Riva and Alessandro Riva First Ebook by Attilio Baghino Cover: Francesco Antonio Boi, watercolor by Gigi Camedda, Cagliari, 1978 courtesy of the picture-gallery, Olzai (Nuoro) First on line editions (2000) Editorial reviewer: Gabriele Conti. Webmastering: Andrea Casanova, Beniamino Orrù, Barbara Spina Last on line editions (2020) Editorial reviewer: Francesco Loy, Alessandro Riva Webmastering: Francesco Loy Tecnical support: Stefano Aramo The translation of the 1st Italian version was made by Clive Prestt and revised by Alessandro Riva and Bernard Tandler. Acknowledgments Editorial staff of previous on line versions: Felice Loffredo, Marco Piludu, Attilio Baghino Francesca Spina (less. 1); Lorenzo Fiorin (less. 2), Rita Piana (less. 3); Valentina Becciu (less. 4); Mario D'Atri (less. 5); Manuela Testa (less. 6); Raffaele Orrù (less. 7); Ramona Stara (less. 8), are the medical students, now practising physicians, who made notes of the Prof. Riva’s lessons in the academic year 1997-1998. © Copyright 2020, Università di Cagliari This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/. -
The Greatest Missed Microscopical Opportunity? Paul Bingham
The Greatest Missed Microscopical Opportunity? Paul Bingham Introduction In this article I explore the proposition of mine who spent time on the Isle of that the greatest missed optical micro- Wight, where I live. scopical opportunity occurred in 1854, Background when Arthur Hill Hassall (AHH) (1817- In the seventeenth century, microscopy 1894) failed to recognise the cholera or- first revealed the presence of micro-or- ganism in specimens that would have ganisms, and in the early nineteenth cen- been teeming with the bacteria; the same tury the contamination of London’s year in which the scientific community drinking water was made public, includ- did not accept the findings of Filippo Pa- ing through a cartoon showing what could cini (1812-1883), who is now credited with be seen down a microscope. Progress, the discovery of Vibrio cholerae. Had, in however, faltered as bacteria are hard to 1854, a majority of the ‘establishment’ ac- visualise in aqueous fluids, being mainly cepted that cholera was caused by an or- water themselves. They generally require ganism, mainly transmitted in water staining or a technique like phase con- rather than ‘bad air’, many lives might trast to make them ‘visible’. In addition, have been spared. (The cholera vibrio was in the 1850s there was a strong belief in brought to general acceptance in 1884 by an alternative theory of disease transmis- Robert Koch (1843-1910)). As with many sion (the miasmic theory of ‘bad air’), that historical retrospectives, the ‘facts’ are favoured anticontagionism and the avoid- contested. To make this article ‘stream- ance of quarantine. -
Cholera: Man Versus Microbe
Cholera: Man versus Microbe The original exhibit entitled “Cholera: Man versus Microbe” w as created as an in -house exhibit in Dana Medical Library in support of the 2013 UVM First Year Read, The Ghost Map , by Steven Johnson. This web page is an adaptation of the original exhibit, and was created for use on Dana Medical Library’s website. Curat ed by Frances Delwiche, Library Associate Professor, Dana Medical Library, University of Vermont, the original exhibit was on display in Dana Library from 08-26-13 through the 2013 fall sem est er . In the nineteenth century, no disease was so terrifying, or dealt so swift a blow, as cholera. The powerful enterotoxin secreted by Vibrio cholerae causes excessive secretion of electrolytes and water into the intestine, resulting in the rapid loss of enormous volumes of fluid. In modern times, cholera is readily treated through oral and intravenous rehydration. But in the 1800’s, cholera often meant a swift and Image from National Library of Medicine (NLM) Cholera Online: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/cholera/index.html gruesome death from severe dehydration and shock. “Asiatic cholera” has been endemic to the Ganges River valley of India since the dawn of recorded history. In 1817, the first cholera pandemic began with the spread of the disease along trade routes, reaching as far as southern Russia. Over the course of the next two centuries, the world would be ravaged by seven major pandemics: 1817-1823, 1829-1851, 1852-1859, 1863-1879, 1881-1896, 1899- 1923, and 1961-present. Though never endemic in this country, the United States experienced several cholera outbreaks, most notably in 1832, 1849, and 1866. -
BCMJ -#51Vol4-May09.Qxp
Gerry Greenstone, MD A commentary on cholera: The scourge that never dies Human actions play a large part in creating the conditions that allow cholera outbreaks to occur. ABSTRACT: The study of cholera is n the field of infectious disease, Snow’s investigations eventually an instructive one that touches on cholera is one of the most instruc- implicated a particular pump in Broad many different fields, including Itive diseases to study because it Street as an important source of the microbiology, epidemiology, marine touches on several disciplines, in - outbreak. Even though the number of biology, climatology, waste man- cluding microbiology, epidemiology, cases was already declining as a result agement, and socioeconomics. We marine biology, climatology, waste of people leaving the area, Snow man- now understand much about Vibrio management, and socioeconomics. aged to reduce the number further by cholerae that was previously per- The study of cholera began in earnest meeting with local officials and hav- plexing and know more about the more than 100 years ago. In 1854, the ing the handle of the pump removed. organism’s ability to survive by colo- city of London was in the grip of a Investigation eventually identified the nizing the gastrointestinal tract of terrible cholera outbreak affecting index case, an infected child named copepods. Today cholera outbreaks hundreds and killing dozens. At the Frances Lewis, whose mother was continue to occur throughout Africa same time the scientific world was throwing her soiled nappies into a and in other areas affected by war embroiled in debating the merits of cistern that was found to be connect- and poverty such as Iraq. -
Two Historic Case Studies
Two Historic Case Studies John Snow: Data Scientist London in the 1850’s ● London in the 1850’s was wealthy, but many citizens lived in extreme poverty ● Disease was rampant, especially cholera ● Causality between unsanitary food and water and diseases was not yet accepted ● Miasma theory: bad air was generally believed to be the cause of cholera Cholera in London in the mid 1800’s ● The first cases of cholera in London were reported in 1831 ● Cholera killed hundreds of Londoners in one week in 1854 ○“Within 250 yards of the spot where Cambridge Street joins Broad Street, there were upwards of 500 fatal attacks of cholera in 10 days,” Dr. Snow wrote. ● Patients died within a day or two of contracting the disease ● One wave of cholera could kill tens of thousands John Snow ● John Snow, an obstetrician/anaesthesiologist, was skeptical of the miasma theory. If the disease was airborne, wouldn’t people living in the same area be breathing in the same toxins? ● But entire households were dying of cholera, while their neighbors were perfectly fine. Snow’s Observations ● Symptoms included vomiting and diarrhea ● This evidence led Snow to believe the disease was food/drink borne as opposed to airborne ● He hypothesized that some drinking water was contaminated Plotting Cholera ● August, 1854 ● Mapped out deaths ● Black bars show deaths ● Black circles (inside red circles) show water pumps (image drawn and lithographed by Charles Cheffins) Snow’s Hypothesis ● Snow observed that deaths were clustered around the Broad Street Pump ● Other Evidence -
The Greatest Steps Towards the Discovery of Vibrio Cholerae
REVIEW 10.1111/1469-0691.12390 The greatest steps towards the discovery of Vibrio cholerae D. Lippi1 and E. Gotuzzo2 1) Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy and 2) Institute of Tropical Medicine, Peruvian University, C. Heredia, Lima, Peru Abstract In the 19th century, there was extensive research on cholera: the disease was generally attributed to miasmatic causes, but this concept was replaced, between about 1850 and 1910, by the scientifically founded germ theory of disease. In 1883, Robert Koch identified the vibrion for the second time, after Filippo Pacini’s discovery in 1854: Koch isolated the comma bacillus in pure culture and explained its mode of transmission, solving an enigma that had lasted for centuries. The aim of this article is to reconstruct the different steps towards the explanation of cholera, paying particular attention to the events occurring in the pivotal year 1854. Keywords: Filippo Pacini, history of cholera, John Snow, Robert Koch, vibrion Article published online: 12 September 2013 Clin Microbiol Infect 2014; 20: 191–195 Corresponding author: D. Lippi, Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy E-mail: donatella.lippi@unifi.it seriously affected almost the whole world during many severe Introduction outbreaks in the course of the 19th century [2]. This diarrhoeal disease can lead to death by dehydration of an untreated In the 19th century, there was extensive research on cholera: patient within a few hours, and is extremely contagious in among the topics discussed were microbial vs. miasmatic causes communities without adequate sanitation. Even though it was and the relative merits of hygiene, sanitation and quarantine in hard to discriminate cholera from many other diseases controlling or preventing cholera’s spread, especially among associated with diarrhoea and vomiting, the first pandemic of European nations.