Bohdana Divišová:
Some issues on syphilis seen by the physician Christophoro Guarinoni (1534–1604)

Abstract

Syphilis has been one of the most horrible diseases since its appearance in the late 15th century. Physicians had to react to this new illness somehow, and moreover it was their duty to heal it. A very good, but quite neglected source showing how they tried to fight “morbus gallicus” are “consilia,” a special kind of professional medical literature since the Middle Ages. The author of this article used consilia for luetics by one of the best diagnosticians of that time, Christophoro Guarinoni (1530–1604), to show the picture (discourse) of treating the great pox in the second half of the 16th century by one particular physician. Among some expected and known facts like usage of guaiacum or bleeding, we can find many new facts, for example about Guarinoni, who was a Galenical doctor using very strong alchemical medicaments.

Language: czech

Keywords: syphilis; Christophoro Guarinoni; history of medicine; consilia medicinalia