JOHN KEATS AS A MEDICAL STUDENT: A PHOTOGRAPHIC ITINERARY

John Keats (1795-1821), besides being the famous English poet, was a student of medicine at the United Hospitals in London. On the occasion of the bicentenary of his death, we would like to pay tribute to this versatile figure with a photographic itinerary of his medical life. This article, in connection with the project "Himetop - The History of Medicine Topographical Database", retraces objects and places where the poet lived, studied, worked, and prematurely died, showing the importance of material culture. The photographic journey starts in London with the birthplace of the poet and continues through the places of his infancy and youth, the school in Enfield, the lodgings at 8 St. Thomas Street, the United Hospitals, etc. After giving up medicine to devote to poetry, the itinerary proceeds in the Hampstead and, as the ultimate destination, in Rome, where John Keats spent his last months of life due to tuberculosis. To conclude the path at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome, where he was buried, surrounded by grass and flowers. The material memories left by John Keats, as well as preserving his memory, take on a significant educational and inspirational role for everybody and, in particular, literary people and medical students.

Maxillary sinusitis as a respiratory health indicator: a bioarchaeological investigation into medieval central Italy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess chronic maxillary sinusitis in an osteoarchaeological sample from the medieval rural site of Pieve di Pava (central Italy), to investigate triggers responsible for sinus inflammation, and to compare prevalence rates with coeval European rural sites. MATERIALS: The analysis focused on 145 10th-12th-century adults with at least one preserved maxillary sinus. METHODS: Sinusitis-related lesions were observed macroscopically and microscopically. Alveolar pathologies of the maxillary posterior dentition were recorded to investigate the impact of odontogenic sinusitis. RESULTS: Maxillary sinusitis was observed in 23.4% of the individuals (n = 34), with similar frequencies in both sexes and bilateral sinusitis appearing more frequently than unilateral sinusitis. An association of alveolar lesions with sinusitis was found in 38.2% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to coeval rural sites in Northern Europe, Pieve di Pava shows the lowest prevalence of maxillary sinusitis, likely reflecting a greater amount of time spent outdoors. Despite the small size of the sample, odontogenic sinusitis cannot be ruled out. SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first Italian study to investigate maxillary sinusitis and to focus on the Mediterranean area, contributing to the understanding of this condition as a health indicator in ancient populations. LIMITATIONS: Research limitations include preservation issues affecting the number of observable sinuses, the non-homogenous age distribution of the sample, and the impact of inclusion and methodological criteria on the comparability of results. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Further investigations into odontogenic sinusitis and the microscopic examination of dental calculus may provide new data on the pathogenesis of sinusitis.