Category: Moments in History
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The troubled mind of Emperor Rudolf II (1552–1612)
When Rudolf II became Holy Roman Emperor in 1576, he gradually shifted the imperial court from Vienna to Prague, transforming the latter into a center of Renaissance culture. He attracted to his court some of the greatest intellects of his time, supporting literature, painting, alchemy, astrology, natural philosophy, and medicine. He collected scientific instruments, exotic…
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A Polish tragedy and a case without a diagnosis
On the morning of September 1, 1939, German troops attacked Poland without a declaration of war. Two weeks later, on September 17, while Poland was defending itself in the west, the Soviet Union attacked from the east. This two-pronged attack was too much for Poland to handle. On October 6, 1939, its last troops surrendered.…
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Early medicine in Australia
Eighteen years after James Cook landed in Australia in 1770, the First Fleet arrived, carrying convicts, marines, and physicians. The colony’s surgeons faced overwhelming challenges—starvation, malnutrition, and disease—in a climate much unlike Britain’s. Dr. John White, the principal surgeon, recorded in his journals the “fevers, fluxes, and scorbutic afflictions” that plagued both prisoners and guards.…
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The early Medici in Florence
The history of the beautiful city of Florence dates to the early Middle Ages and is intertwined with that of the remarkable Medici family. Their very name suggests a medical origin, and legend has it that an early Medici was physician to Charlemagne. As early as the 1200s, Chiarissimo di Giambuono (de’ Medici) is reported…
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József Antall: Hungarian medical historian and political leader
Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, England In the Taban region of Budapest, at the foot of the castle district of the city outside the Semmelweis Museum of Medical History, stands a statue of József Antall, a famous medical historian who became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary in 1990 following the end of Communist rule…
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The Celts, early inhabitants of Europe
The Celts, a collection of Indo-European tribes, shared common linguistic and cultural traditions. They controlled extensive territories across Europe from 1200 BCE to 400 CE, spanning from Ireland and Scotland to Anatolia and from the Netherlands to Spain and Italy. Greek and Roman observers frequently wrote about the Celts in negative terms but also expressed their admiration for them. The main Celtic…
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A rare case report: Near amputation of a leg from a falling book
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Traumatic injuries are common, resulting from war, natural disasters, workplace mishaps, accidents, or sports. But severe bodily damage occurring in a library? In 1359, the famous Italian poet, humanist, and philosopher from Arezzo, Francesco Petrarch (1304–1374), was reading a book in his library written by one of his admired Roman scholars, Cicero.…
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Septimus Severus: “Omnia fuit, nihil expedit”
“I have been all things, and all was of little value.”1 Septimius Severus was Roman emperor from 193 to 211 CE and is remembered for his reforms, innovations, military campaigns, and severity.1 Born in present-day Libya, he came to the throne after several emperors who ruled briefly after the death of Nero. As emperor, he…
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Lucius Cornelius Sulla in health and disease (138–78 BCE)
The transition from democracy to dictatorship and tyranny is never pleasant to behold. Whatever its causes, whatever defects it sets out to remedy, it more often than not leads to blood being spilt and tears being shed. This is exemplified by the story of Cornelius Sulla, the first Roman general to seize power through force…
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Pietro Grimani: Venetian Doge and Fellow of the Royal Society (1667–1752)
Pietro Grimani was one the most cultured of the 120 Doges who served as chief magistrates and leaders of the city and republic of Venice for more than one thousand years. Born into an ancient aristocratic family that had held essential positions in Venetian society, he had studied the classics as a young man, including…