the Museo di Storia della Medicina e
della Salute at Hospital San Francesco "Grande" in Padua
On October 4th, 2003 took place the ceremony of laying the
foundation stone of what will become the Museo di Storia
della Medicina e della Salute in Padua, located in the building
of what was the most important hospital in the city until
early 19th century, known as San Francesco “Grande”.
Italy’s patron saint has once again been summoned
to Project the phase of realization o fan initiative that
was born years ago. Thanks to the joined effort of the State,
the Regional Government of Venice, the County Council (this,
in first place, as the genuine promoter) the City Council,
the Azienda Ospadaliera, ULSS number 16 (local health centre),
and obviously, the University of Padua, it has been possible
to give the go-ahead to a project of a museum of the history
of medicine and health.
From the historical point of view, it is appropriate to
consider the city of Padua as a “capital city”
of health. It is only necessary to think of its University
as the source, through eight centuries of uninterrupted
life, of so many contributions in the field of biomedical
sciences (Fracastoro, Vesalius, Fallopio, Fabrici, Harvey,
Morgagni). On the other hand, Padua, the biggest city in
the land territories of the Republic of Venice, was a place
for the experimentation and application of all health measures
the Serenissima was creating and implementing and for which
Venice still holds a pre-eminent place in the history of
public health. Moreover, it is necessary to mention the
presence in Padua of Abano, Montegrotto and Battaglia hot
springs, which have been the object of health practices
related to hot springs and muds since before the reorganization.
Besides, the place chosen to locate the new museum has a
particular historical-medical interest. The old hospital
San Francesco “Grande” bears this name since
its ex novo construction by early 15th century. It was as
well in this hospital where Giovanni Battista Da Monte gave
for the first time, by mid-16th century, practical medicine
lessons by the patient’s bed. For all this, it is
doubly significant the fact that it is now possible to rebuild
this stage for so many medical and health-related initiatives
and offer it, from a modern perspective of cultural delight,
to all those interested in the history of medicine and health
in each and every of their aspects.
Waiting for the conclusion of the work for the complete
restoration of the building, a competition has been called
to choose the team that will give shape (museographic project)
to the “script”(museologic project) devised
by an expert commission (F. Bombi, R. Mazzolini, G. Ongaro
and the author of this paper). The main theme of the museum
will be, as it is obvious, the history of Padua’s
medicine and its relationship with European medicine; but
an international team of experts guarantee the non-local
nature of the initiative, as they are already chosen among
the main specialists in the field of history of medicine
and science and among the people in charge of the most important
museums devoted to these disciplines.
At the present time, we can only anticipate some of the
things that will be included, coming essentially from the
remarkably rich funds of the University of Padua: the books
belonging to the old section of the “Pinali’s
library”, the collections of preparations of human
normal and pathological anatomy (rich in paleopathological
remains), and of equipment related to distinct clinical
specialties, highlighting ophthalmology and obstetrics.
This latter, doubtlessly, is the richest one and was already
praised in traveller’s guides in the 18th century
as a place worth to visit by any illuminated foreigner (that
is, enlightened.)
Precisely, some of the best qualities of the cultural life
of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment –such as
the constant circulation of ideas and the close personal
relationship among scholars from all disciplines and all
regions within Europe– wish to inspire the management
of this waiting period while restoration of the building
is finished. First, the use of Internet will allow following
the different stages of construction and setting up of the
“real” museum, while shortly allowing the visit
to the “virtual” one. Second, the creation of
a network of “friends of the future Museum”
is being verified in a, we could say, spontaneous way (because
it was not planned, perhaps erroneously, in the initial
project.) In this regard, I would like to mention the role
the Museum of History of Medicine of Catalonia, which, notwithstanding
evident and logical differences, bears remarkable analogies
with Padua’s. Both projects may learn a lot form each
other.
This brief paper wants only to be an introduction of our
initiative and to express our wish that, together with the
Catalan Museum, both may come through and consolidate the
useful relationship we all have started to create.
Dr. Maurizio Rippa Bonati
Istituto di Storia della Medicina, Facoltà di Medicina
e Chirurgia
Università di Padova
© Official Medical Association of Barcelona 
