The treatment of syphilis in Ferrara (Italy) in the 19th century: the example of the Ferrarese pharmacopoeia.

The authors have taken the Italian city of Ferrara as an example of the remedies against syphilis, commonly used worldwide in the 1800s. After having identified the terminologies used to diagnose syphilis, they evidence the legislative behaviours of the government authorities in 19th century in Italy and, in particular, the social and sanitary measures taken in Ferrara to limit the spread of the syphilis epidemic. Historical sources permitted description of the remedies employed in Ferrara from the beginning to the end of that century, not only to treat conditions linked directly to the malady itself, but also its complications and secondary pathologies. The pharmacopoeia written for the apothecaries of Ferrara by Antonio Campana, a famous Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Botany, won a great reputation and distribution in the international medical world not only of the first half of the 1800s. His authoritative work was much appreciated in Italy and abroad.

The treatment of tuberculosis in Ferrara (Italy) in the 19th century.

The present work is a review of the remedies in use in Ferrara against tuberculosis in the 1800s. The work started from the discovery of accounts describing methods and remedies. These remedies were also in use world wide. Of particular interest is the work by Antonio Campana, a famous professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Botany in Ferrara, who wrote a pharmacopoeia which had several editions between 1797 and 1841. The Farmacopea Ferrarese was addressed to the apothecaries of Ferrara. Nevertheless, due to its great reputation it had an international distribution. It provided us with an exhaustive view about the medical field in Ferrara in the early 1800s. The remedies adopted in the city in the second half of the century were in line with those present abroad. The work was also supported by the discovery of statistical accounts of the Sant'Anna hospital from 1871. The manuscript written by Alessandro Bennati enabled elucidation of the methods used to treat tuberculosis in the second half of the century. Bennati's work is an historical document completed by the work of the physician Cesare Minerbi.

[Syphilis in Ferrara in the nineteenth century]. / La sifilide a Ferrara nel 1800.

In this article the authors highlight the behaviour of government authorities in the nineteenth century in Italy and especially in Ferrara to implement those measures deemed necessary to stem the spread of syphilis in epidemic form through the control of prostitution. Albeit discontinuously and until 1865, corrupted and infected women in Ferrara were assisted and treated by charitable institutions (Congregation of Charity, the Congregation of the Ladies of St. Vincent and the Sisters of Charity at the complex St. Mary of Consolation) since the Ferrara public hospital (Arcispedale S. Anna) could not accept or treat infected prostitutes for economic reasons and lack of beds. Subsequently, the hospital only treated prostitutes free of charge if they bore a certificate of poverty. The other infected prostitutes were sent to the sifilicomio in Modena. The authors also study mortality from syphilis in Ferrara from 1813 to 1899 in order to detect any significant differences according to age, sex and professional status and attempt to identify the stage of the disease (primary, secondary and tertiary), according to the terminology used by the doctors of that time.

[Smallpox in Ferrara in the nineteenth century]. / Il vaiolo a Ferrara nell'1800.

The aim of this work was to analyse the mortality for smallpox and the methods used during the nineteenth-century to control epidemics. Most of the historical material was found in the Historical Archives of the Ferrara City Council. Over the whole period in question, there were 710 deaths in Ferrara (366 males and 344 females). The highest number was found in the years 1816, 1829, 1834, 1842, 1849, 1871 and 1891. Data analysis shows that most deaths occurred during the first half of the century. Subsequently, the phenomenon declined to almost zero. Males were more affected and nearly 70% of the deaths occurred under 5 years of age, 50%of which during the first year of life. At that time, the "guidelines" adopted were analogous to those currently followed when a new vaccination programme is started. The inspiring principles were the active and free supply of vaccine, universal vaccination, the informed consent of the population, the involvement of educators and also monetary rewards to the most industrious doctors in the practice of vaccination. In Ferrara vaccination began in 1801, but was only consistently implemented in 1812. By the end of the 19th century the number of persons vaccinated had increased from 3% to 7%. Vaccination initiatives assumed great importance among the population of Ferrara, in spite of initial resistance and suspicion of a practice which most people found incomprehensible.

Sociomedical indicators in the cholera epidemic in Ferrara of 1855.

The historical report on the cholera epidemic of 1855, conserved in Ferrara City's archives allowed us to verify the probable relation between the environment and epidemic in a broad sense, using log-linear analysis and multiple logistic regression. Two thousand and thirty-three cases were analyzed and the quantitative/qualitative variables available from the report were analyzed in relationship with mortality and morbidity rates, considered as response variables. From the analysis of the quantitative variables, it emerges that the variables having a significant influence on the morbidity/mortality rates are the number of individuals and the average number of inhabitants per house. From the analysis of the qualitative variables, it emerges that all the descriptive variables of the state of the streets and houses express a strong association with mortality and morbidity. With the present analysis, data available--a detailed 'street by street' morbidity and mortality recording from cholera in 1855 in Ferrara--were analyzed with modern means and the overall picture that emerge is that in the better kept houses in the better parts of the town had less cholera morbidity and especially mortality.