There are so many things that Frakastoro describes the system of the world. Vasily Zubov Galileo and the struggle for a new world system

The European Renaissance gave the world amazing minds and names. One of the greatest scientific encyclopedists, significantly ahead of his time, is Girolamo Fracastoro (1478-1553). He was born in Italy, in Verona 540 years ago and was talented in everything: in philosophy, in the art of medicine, as a scientist-researcher in medicine, mathematics, astronomy, geography, he was engaged in literary activities (poetry and prose), which was very diverse . G. Fracastoro graduated from the University of Padua, becoming one of the most educated people of his time. At the university, in his immediate circle there were later outstanding figures of the Renaissance (astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, writer Navajero, geographer and historian Ramusio, etc.).
After graduating from university (at the age of 20 he was already teaching logic), Fracastoro settled in Padua, lived in Verona, Venice, and later moved to Rome, where he became a court physician-consultant to Pope Paul III. G. Fracastoro's scientific works are devoted to astronomy (he proposed a model of the solar system in accordance with the theory of N. Copernicus, introduced the concept of “Earth's pole”), issues of psychology and philosophy, which he reflected in his “Dialogues” (“On the soul”, “On sympathies” and antipathies”, “On understanding”), medicine and other problems.
In 1530, G. Fracastoro’s poem, which became a classic, “Syphilis or the Gallic Disease,” was published, where he talks about a shepherd whose name was Syphilus. The shepherd incurred the wrath of the Gods for his wrong lifestyle and was punished with a serious illness. Thanks to G. Fracastoro, the “Gallic disease” began to be called “syphilis” - after the name of the shepherd from the poem, which contained not only a description of the disease, the route of infection, but also recommendations for combating it. The poem became an important sanitary guide. At a time when syphilis was very common, she played a major educational and psychological role.
J. Fracastoro created the doctrine of infectious diseases and is considered the founder of epidemiology. In 1546 His work “On contagion, contagious diseases and treatment” was published. G. Fracastoro analyzed and summarized the ideas about the origin and treatment of infectious diseases of his predecessors - Hippocrates, Thucydides, Aristotle, Galen, Pliny the Elder and others.
He developed the doctrine of contagion (in addition to the existing miasmatic theory, he created the contagious theory) - about a living, multiplying principle that can cause disease, described the symptoms of many infectious diseases (smallpox, measles, plague, consumption, rabies, leprosy, typhus, etc.), was convinced of the specificity of contagions, that they are secreted by a sick organism. He introduced the concept of “infection”. He identified three ways of infection: through direct contact, indirectly through objects and at a distance. He devoted one part of his book to treatment methods. J. Fracastoro developed a system of preventive measures. During epidemics, he recommended isolation of the patient, special clothing for caregivers, red crosses on the doors of sick people’s houses, closure of trade and other institutions, etc. The works of G. Fracastoro were read with interest by his contemporaries and people of subsequent generations. G. Fracastoro died in 1553 in Affi. In 1560 His letters, of great scientific and literary interest, were published as a separate volume, and in 1739. poems were published. In Verona, Fracastoro's hometown, a monument was erected to him.

Date of death:

17.03.1553

Science: Astronomers, Mathematicians, Scientists, Philosophers

Art: Writers, Poets

Geography of life:

Occupation:

Doctor, poet, writer, scientist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher

Fracastoro, Girolamo (1478, Verona, Italy - 03/17/1553) - Italian doctor, creator of the doctrine of infectious diseases, poet, writer and scientist, one of the most educated people of his time, who excelled in medicine, astronomy, mathematics, philosophy, literature and poetry . Born in Verona, he studied at the University of Padua. Here Fracastoro, according to the order established at that time, first studied the humanities - grammar, dialectics, rhetoric, then philosophy and mathematics and, finally, special disciplines - astronomy and medicine. Here, in Padua, among Fracastoro’s comrades and inner circle there were later famous figures of the Italian Renaissance - historians and writers Navajero and, geographer and historian Ramusio, astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. At the age of twenty he was already teaching logic there. For some time he was a consulting physician to Pope Paul III and had an extensive medical practice. Author of important scientific works: on astronomy "Homocentrica sive de stellis liber"(1538), in which he proposed a model of the solar system based on the theory of Copernicus (by the way, it was he who first introduced the term “pole” in relation to the Earth); in medicine "De contagione et contagiosis morbis"(1546, Venice; 1550, Leiden; there is a Russian translation: “On contagion, contagious diseases and treatment - three books”, Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1954; The first book is devoted to general theoretical principles, the second to a description of infectious diseases, and the third to treatment). Having summarized the views of his predecessors, from the authors of antiquity to contemporary doctors, he made the first attempt to give a general theory of epidemic diseases and a description of a number of contagious ailments: smallpox, measles, plague, consumption, rabies, leprosy, etc. Fracastoro can rightfully be considered the founder of the science of epidemiology: he was the first to talk about the true nature of the disease, the methods of its spread and its carriers - bacteria. His poem (and at the same time a medical treatise) on venereal disease became widely known and widespread. "Syphilis, or Gallic disease" ("Syphilis sive Morbus Gallicus", Verona, 1530), translated into major European languages. The poem not only gave a name to the disease that was widespread at that time (the hero of the poem is a young shepherd named Syphilis), but also contained a description of the disease and medical recommendations for combating it, and became an important psychological and sanitary guide. The range of interests of the encyclopedist scientist was unusually wide. In dialogue "Naugerius, or On Poetry"(1553) Fracastoro argues that poetry is neither entertainment nor illustration; its subject is the beautiful, perfect and expedient “simple” (simpliciter), and its highest genre is heroic. His "Dialogues" ("On Understanding", "About the Soul", "On likes and dislikes") are devoted to problems of philosophy and psychology. Contemporaries read it with interest "Judgments about winemaking" and heeded the recommendations of his treatise “On the treatment of hunting dogs”. His letters were published as a separate volume in the multi-volume collection “Letters of Thirty Famous People” (Venice, 1560). And then, two centuries later, in 1739, his poems were published. Fracastoro's ashes were transported to his hometown, Verona, where a monument was erected to him in 1555. The outstanding scientist and humanist of the Middle Ages had such a high opinion of Fracastoro’s talents and services to science that he composed a poem in his honor. As for the second name of the disease - “French disease” - that’s what the Italians called it, claiming that the French brought syphilis to their country during the Italian wars (under Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I). The French, in turn, claimed that they caught syphilis in Naples, and for them it was the “Neapolitan disease” (syphilis was brought to Europe from America by the sailors of Christopher Columbus).

The existence of formidable infectious diseases that sickened thousands of people at once has been known for centuries. In unknown and mysterious ways, these diseases are transmitted from one person to another, spreading throughout the country, spreading even across the sea. The holy Jewish book, the Bible, mentions the "plagues of Egypt"; ancient papyri written on the banks of the Nile four thousand years BC describe diseases that are easily recognizable as smallpox and leprosy. Hippocrates was called to Athens to fight the epidemic. However, in the ancient world, human settlements were located at a considerable distance from each other, and cities were not overpopulated. Therefore, epidemics in those days did not entail significant devastation. In addition, hygiene, which was generally observed, also had a great influence. In the Middle Ages, in Europe, simple remedies: water and soap were forgotten; in addition, in the cities surrounded by fortress walls, extraordinary crowding reigned. Therefore, it is not surprising that epidemics in these conditions spread horribly. So, the plague epidemic that arose in 1347...1350 resulted in 25 million human victims in Europe, and in 1665 in London alone one hundred thousand people died from the plague. It is believed that in the 18th century, smallpox epidemics killed at least 60 million people in Europe. People noticed quite early on that the centers of the epidemic were mainly the dirty and overcrowded urban slums where the poor lived. Therefore, during the epidemic, the authorities monitored the sweeping of streets and cleaning of gutters. Litter and waste were removed from the city limits, and stray dogs and cats were destroyed. However, no one paid attention to rats, which - as was later established - are carriers of the plague.

Girolamo Fracastoro, an Italian physician, astronomer and poet, born in 1478 and died in 1533, first thought about how infectious diseases spread and how to fight them.

Fracastoro graduated from the University of Padua and settled in Padua. Then he lived for some time in Verona and Venice, and in his old age he moved to Rome, where he took the position of court physician to the Pope. In 1546, he published a three-volume work “On Contagion, Contagious Diseases and Treatment,” the fruit of his many years of observations and research. In this work, Fracastoro points out that diseases are transmitted either through direct contact with the patient, or through his clothing, bedding, and dishes. However, there are also diseases that are carried over a distance, as if through the air, and they are the worst of all, since in this case it is difficult to protect yourself from infection. As the most effective means against the spread of infection, Fracastoro put forward isolation of patients and disinfection, that is, according to the concepts of that time, thorough cleaning and purification of the place where the patient was. Even now we can recognize these demands as fair, although we know that cleaning and cleaning alone is not enough, disinfection is necessary with anti-epidemic agents, which Fracastoro’s contemporaries did not have at their disposal. On Fracastoro’s advice, they began to paint a cross in red paint on the doors of houses where the sick were; at his request, during the epidemic, shops, institutions, courts and even parliaments were locked, beggars were not allowed into churches and meetings were prohibited. Houses in which people were sick were locked and even burned along with everything that was inside. It happened that cities engulfed by an epidemic were surrounded by troops, cutting off access to them, leaving residents to the mercy of fate who were in danger of starvation. It is curious that Fracastoro is the author of a poem about the “French” disease - syphilis. It was Fracastoro who introduced this name for the disease into medicine.

The existence of formidable infectious diseases that sickened thousands of people at once has been known for centuries. In unknown and mysterious ways, these diseases are transmitted from one person to another, spreading throughout the country, spreading even across the sea. The holy Jewish book, the Bible, mentions the "plagues of Egypt"; ancient papyri written on the banks of the Nile four thousand years BC describe diseases that are easily recognizable as smallpox and leprosy. Hippocrates was called to Athens to fight the epidemic. However, in the ancient world, human settlements were located at a considerable distance from each other, and cities were not overpopulated. Therefore, epidemics in those days did not entail significant devastation. In addition, hygiene, which was generally observed, also had a great influence. In the Middle Ages, in Europe, simple remedies: water and soap were forgotten; in addition, in the cities surrounded by fortress walls, extraordinary crowding reigned. Therefore, it is not surprising that epidemics in these conditions spread horribly. So, the plague epidemic that arose in 1347...1350 resulted in 25 million human victims in Europe, and in 1665 in London alone one hundred thousand people died from the plague. It is believed that in the 18th century, smallpox epidemics killed at least 60 million people in Europe. People noticed quite early on that the centers of the epidemic were mainly the dirty and overcrowded urban slums where the poor lived. Therefore, during the epidemic, the authorities monitored the sweeping of streets and cleaning of gutters. Litter and waste were removed from the city limits, and stray dogs and cats were destroyed. However, no one paid attention to rats, which - as was later established - are carriers of the plague.
Girolamo Fracastoro, an Italian physician, astronomer and poet, born in 1478 and died in 1533, first thought about how infectious diseases spread and how to fight them.
Fracastoro graduated from the University of Padua and settled in Padua. Then he lived for some time in Verona and Venice, and in his old age he moved to Rome, where he took the position of court physician to the Pope. In 1546, he published a three-volume work “On Contagion, Contagious Diseases and Treatment,” the fruit of his many years of observations and research. In this work, Fracastoro points out that diseases are transmitted either through direct contact with the patient, or through his clothing, bedding, and dishes. However, there are also diseases that are carried over a distance, as if through the air, and they are the worst of all, since in this case it is difficult to protect yourself from infection. As the most effective means against the spread of infection, Fracastoro put forward isolation of patients and disinfection, that is, according to the concepts of that time, thorough cleaning and purification of the place where the patient was. Even now we can recognize these demands as fair, although we know that cleaning and cleaning alone is not enough, disinfection is necessary with anti-epidemic agents, which Fracastoro’s contemporaries did not have at their disposal. On Fracastoro’s advice, they began to paint a cross in red paint on the doors of houses where the sick were; at his request, during the epidemic, shops, institutions, courts and even parliaments were locked, beggars were not allowed into churches and meetings were prohibited. Houses in which people were sick were locked and even burned along with everything that was inside. It happened that cities engulfed by an epidemic were surrounded by troops, cutting off access to them, leaving residents to the mercy of fate who were in danger of starvation. It is curious that Fracastoro is the author of a poem about the “French” disease - syphilis. It was Fracastoro who introduced this name for the disease into medicine.
Grzegorz FEDOROWSKI

The holy Jewish book, the Bible, mentions the "plagues of Egypt"; ancient papyri written on the banks of the Nile four thousand years BC describe diseases that are easily recognizable as smallpox and leprosy. Hippocrates was called to Athens to fight the epidemic. However, in the ancient world, human settlements were located at a considerable distance from each other, and cities were not overpopulated. Therefore, epidemics in those days did not entail significant devastation. In addition, hygiene, which was generally observed, also had a great influence. In the Middle Ages, in Europe, simple remedies: water and soap were forgotten; in addition, in the cities surrounded by fortress walls, extraordinary crowding reigned. Therefore, it is not surprising that epidemics in these conditions spread horribly. So, the plague epidemic that arose in 1347...1350 resulted in 25 million human victims in Europe, and in 1665 in London alone one hundred thousand people died from the plague. It is believed that in the 18th century, smallpox epidemics killed at least 60 million people in Europe. People noticed quite early on that the centers of the epidemic were mainly the dirty and overcrowded urban slums where the poor lived. Therefore, during the epidemic, the authorities monitored the sweeping of streets and cleaning of gutters. Litter and waste were removed from the city limits, and stray dogs and cats were destroyed. However, no one paid attention to rats, which - as was later established - are carriers of the plague.

Boccaccio's younger contemporary and compatriot was the physician Girolamo Fracastoro. He lived in the middle of the 16th century, during the era of the late Renaissance, so rich in outstanding discoveries and remarkable scientists.

Girolamo Fracastoro, an Italian physician, astronomer and poet, born in 1478 and died in 1533, first thought about how infectious diseases spread and how to fight them. The scientist owns the terms “infection” and “disinfection.” These terms were readily used by the well-known physician K. Hufeland at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries. The works of G. Fracastoro and other circumstances, measures to combat epidemics contributed to some of their reduction, in any case There were no such large-scale endemic diseases as in the 14th century in Europe, although they constantly threatened the population.

Fracastoro graduated from the University of Padua and settled in Padua. Then he lived for some time in Verona and Venice, and in his old age he moved to Rome, where he took the position of court physician to the Pope. In 1546, he published a three-volume work “On Contagion, Contagious Diseases and Treatment,” the fruit of his many years of observations and research. In this work, Fracastoro points out that diseases are transmitted either through direct contact with the patient, or through his clothing, bedding, and dishes. However, there are also diseases that are carried over a distance, as if through the air, and they are the worst of all, since in this case it is difficult to protect yourself from infection. As the most effective means against the spread of infection, Fracastoro put forward isolation of patients and disinfection, that is, according to the concepts of that time, thorough cleaning and purification of the place where the patient was. Even now we can recognize these demands as fair, although we know that cleaning and cleaning alone is not enough, disinfection is necessary with anti-epidemic agents, which Fracastoro’s contemporaries did not have at their disposal. On Fracastoro’s advice, they began to paint a cross in red paint on the doors of houses where the sick were; at his request, during the epidemic, shops, institutions, courts and even parliaments were locked, beggars were not allowed into churches and meetings were prohibited.

Fracastoro is considered one of the founders of epidemiology. For the first time, he collected all the information accumulated by medicine before him, and gave a coherent theory about the existence of “living contagium” - the living cause of infectious diseases.

The provisions of this theory are briefly reduced to the following theses.

Along with the creatures visible to the naked eye, there are countless living “minuscule particles inaccessible to our senses,” or seeds. These seeds have the ability to generate and spread others like themselves. Invisible particles can settle in rotten water, in dead fish remaining on land after a flood, in carrion, and can penetrate into the human body. When they settle in it, they cause disease.

The routes of their penetration are very diverse. Fracastoro distinguished three types of infection: through contact with the patient, through contact with objects that were used by the patient, and, finally, at a distance - through the air. Moreover, each type of infection corresponded to its own special contagion. Treatment of the disease should be aimed both at alleviating the patient’s suffering and at destroying the multiplying particles of contagion.

The boldness of Fracastoro's generalizations was very great. The scientist had to fight many prejudices and preconceived opinions; he did not take into account the authority of the father of medicine - Hippocrates, which in itself was unheard of insolence for that time. It is curious that Fracastoro's theory was better accepted by the people than by his medical colleagues: such was the power of Hippocrates' more than two thousand years of authority!

Fracastoro not only gave a general theory of “living contagion”. He developed a system of protective measures. To prevent the spread of contagion, patients were recommended to be isolated; they were looked after by people in special clothes - long robes and masks with slits for the eyes. Bonfires were lit in the streets and courtyards, often made of wood that produced acrid smoke, such as juniper. Free communication with the epidemic-stricken city was interrupted. Trade was carried out at special outposts; money was dipped in vinegar, goods were fumigated with smoke. Letters were removed from envelopes with tweezers.

All this, especially quarantines, prevented the spread of contagious diseases. To some extent, these measures are still applied today. Who doesn’t know about the disinfection that is carried out in the home of a patient with diphtheria, about the strict regime of infectious diseases hospitals.

Quarantines and anti-epidemic cordons disrupted the normal life of the country. Sometimes spontaneous riots broke out among the population, who did not understand the full importance of the measures being taken (for example, the “plague riot” in Moscow in 1771). In addition, the “boss” sometimes gave such confused and obscure explanations about the purpose of quarantines that people did not understand them. Here is an interesting excerpt from the diary of A. S. Pushkin in 1831 (the year of the great cholera epidemic).

“Several men with clubs were guarding the crossing of a river. I began to question them. Neither they nor I fully understood why they were standing there with clubs and with orders not to let anyone in. I proved to them that there was probably a quarantine established somewhere, that if I didn’t come today, I would attack him tomorrow, and as proof I offered them a silver ruble. The men agreed with me, moved me and wished me many summers.”