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Girolamo Fracastoro ( la, Hieronymus Fracastorius; c. 1476/86 August 1553) was an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner ( Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through t ...
,
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
, and
scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...
in mathematics,
geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
and
astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galax ...
. Fracastoro subscribed to the philosophy of
atomism Atomism (from Greek , ''atomon'', i.e. "uncuttable, indivisible") is a natural philosophy proposing that the physical universe is composed of fundamental indivisible components known as atoms. References to the concept of atomism and its atoms a ...
, and rejected appeals to hidden causes in scientific investigation. His studies of the mode of syphilis transmission are an early example of
epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...
.


Life

Fracastoro was born in Verona,
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
and educated at
Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and '' comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
where at the age of 19 he was appointed
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
at the
university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
. On account of his eminence in the practice of medicine, he was elected physician of the Council of Trent. A bronze statue was erected in his honor by the citizens of Padua, while his native city commemorated their great compatriot with a marble statue. He lived and practised in his hometown. In 1546 he proposed that epidemic diseases are caused by transferable tiny particles or "spores" that could transmit
infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dis ...
by direct contact, indirect contact, or even without contact over long distances. In his writing, the "spores" of diseases may refer to chemicals rather than to any living entities. He appears to have first used the Latin word ''fomes'', meaning
tinder Tinder is easily combustible material used to start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder until it bursts into flame. The flaming tinder i ...
, in the sense of infectious agent, in his essay on contagion ''De Contagione et Contagiosis Morbis'' (''On Contagion and Contagious Diseases''), published in 1546: "I call
fomite A fomite () or fomes () is any inanimate object that, when contaminated with or exposed to infectious agents (such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses or fungi), can transfer disease to a new host. Transfer of pathogens by fomites A fomite is any inan ...
s rom the Latin ''fomes'', meaning "tinder"such things as clothes, linen, etc., which although not themselves corrupt, can nevertheless foster the essential seeds of the contagion and thus cause infection." His theory remained influential for nearly three centuries, before being superseded by a fully developed
germ theory The germ theory of disease is the currently accepted scientific theory for many diseases. It states that microorganisms known as pathogens or "germs" can lead to disease. These small organisms, too small to be seen without magnification, invade ...
. The name for
syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, and ...
is derived from Fracastoro's 1530 epic poem in three books, ''Syphilis sive morbus gallicus'' ("Syphilis or The French Disease"), about a shepherd boy named Syphilus who tended the flocks of King
Alcinous In Greek mythology, Alcinous (; Ancient Greek: Ἀλκίνους or Ἀλκίνοος ''Alkínoös'' means "mighty mind") was a son of Nausithous and brother of Rhexenor. After the latter's death, he married his brother's daughter Arete who bo ...
. Syphilus insulted the Greek god
Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
and was punished by him with a horrible disease. The poem suggests using mercury and " guaiaco" as a cure. In 1546 his book (''De contagione'', "On Contagion") also gave the first description of
typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...
. The collected works of Fracastoro appeared for the first time in 1555. Alongside ''Syphilis'', Fracastoro wrote a Biblical epic in two books, ''Joseph'', and a collection of miscellaneous poems, ''Carmina''. ''Joseph'' was translated under the title ''The Maidens Blush, or Joseph'' by
Josuah Sylvester Josuah Sylvester (1563 – 28 September 1618) was an English poet. Biography Sylvester was the son of a Kentish clothier. In his tenth year he was sent to school at King Edward VI School, Southampton, where he gained a knowledge of Frenc ...
. A full edition and English translation of Fracastoro's poetry was prepared by James Gardner for
The I Tatti Renaissance Library The I Tatti Renaissance Library is a book series published by the Harvard University Press, which aims to present important works of Italian Renaissance Latin Literature to a modern audience by printing the original Latin text on each left-hand le ...
. In 1546 Fracastoro described an epidemic in cattle that devastated farmers near Verona, Italy. That disease is now recognized as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), an animal illness of great antiquity. A portrait of Fracastoro that has been in the collection of the
National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...
since 1924 has recently been attributed to the renowned Italian painter
Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian ( Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, ne ...
. The re-attribution has led scholars to speculate that Titian may have painted the portrait in exchange for syphilis treatment.


Fracastoro's landmarks in Verona

A marble portrait statue of Girolamo Fracastoro by the Carrarese sculptor Danese Cattaneo (completed 1559) stands on a beautiful arch in the central Piazza dei Signori of Verona, near the monument to Dante Alighieri. On its base is the inscription: "HIER FRACASTORIO \ PAULLI PHILIPPI F \ EX PUBLICA AUCTORITATE \ DICATA \ AN SAL MDLIX". According to a popular legend the stone ball Fracastoro holds in his right hand, symbolizing the world, will fall on the first honorable person to walk under the arch. Over the centuries many people have passed every day under the arch, but the ball remains in place. Image:Girolamo_Fracastoro's statue in Verona 1.JPG, the statue in its context Image:Girolamo Fracastoro's statue in Verona 4.JPG, the statue with the inscription


Fracastoro's landmarks on the Moon

The lunar crater Fracastorius is named after him.


Geology and fossils

The following is a discussion of the role of Fracastoro in contemporaneous debates about the origin and nature of marine fossils discovered in excavations in Verona during 1517, as quoted from Charles Lyell's ''
Principles of Geology ''Principles of Geology: Being an Attempt to Explain the Former Changes of the Earth's Surface, by Reference to Causes Now in Operation'' is a book by the Scottish geologist Charles Lyell that was first published in 3 volumes from 1830–1833. Ly ...
'':
It was not till the earlier part of the sixteenth century that geological phenomena began to attract the attention of the Christian nations. At that period a very animated controversy sprung up in Italy, concerning the true nature and origin of marine shells, and other organized
fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
s found abundantly in the strata of the peninsula. The excavations made in 1517, for repairing the city of Verona, brought to light a multitude of curious petrifactions, and furnished matter for speculation to different authors, and among the rest to Fracastoro, who declared his opinion, that fossil shells had all belonged to living animals, which had formerly lived and multiplied, where their exuviæ are now found. He exposed the absurdity of having recourse to a certain 'plastic force,' which it was said had the power to fashion stones into organic forms; and, with no less cogent arguments, demonstrated the futility of attributing the situation of the shells in question to the Mosaic deluge, a theory obstinately defended by some. That inundation, he observed, was too transient, it consisted principally of fluviatile waters; and if it had transported shells to great distances, must have strewed them over the surface, not buried them at vast depths in the interior of mountains. His clear exposition of the evidence would have terminated the discussion forever, if the passions of mankind had not been enlisted in the dispute; and even though doubts should for a time have remained in some minds, they would speedily have been removed by the fresh information obtained almost immediately afterwards, respecting the structure of fossil remains, and of their living analogues. The clear and philosophical views of Fracastoro were disregarded, and the talent and argumentative powers of the learned were doomed for three centuries to be wasted in the discussion of these two simple and preliminary questions: first, whether fossil remains had ever belonged to living creatures; and secondly, whether, if this be admitted, all the phenomena could be explained by the Noachian deluge.


Seeds of disease theory

19th century bacteriologists studied Fracastoro’s works, and his "seeds of disease" theory as a predecessor to
germ theory The germ theory of disease is the currently accepted scientific theory for many diseases. It states that microorganisms known as pathogens or "germs" can lead to disease. These small organisms, too small to be seen without magnification, invade ...
.


Works

*''Syphilis, sive Morbi Gallici'' (1530) *''Di Vino Temperatura'' (1534) *''Homocentricorum sive de Stellis, de Causis Criticorum Dierum Libellus'' (1535) *''Homocentrica'' (1538) *''Naugerius sive de Poetica Dialogus'' (c. 1540) *''De Contagione et Contagiosis Morbis'' (1546) *''Syphilis sive de morbo gallico'' (1539, poem)


Notes


References

* The Latin text available in Google Books (see link below) is from ''Poemata selecta Italorum: qui seculo decimo sexto latine scripserunt''. Oxford and London: Slatter et Munday (Ox.) Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme (London) 1808, p. 65-110.


External links

* *
Poems (Siphilis, Lib. 1-3 and others) in: ''Poemata Selecta Italorum, qui Seculo Decimo Sexto Latine scripserunt'', London 1808, 65-135. (Latin text)
''Hieronymi Fracastorii Syphilis sive morbus Gallicus. '' - Basileae, 1536.
(Latin text)
''Hieronymi Fracastorii Homocentrica; Eiusdem de causis criticorum dierum per ea quae in nobis sunt'' – 1538.
(Latin text)
''Hieronymi Fracastorii Veronensis Opera Omnia.'' 1584.
(Astron., medical, & philosophical writings, Latin text)
''Fracastor – La Syphilis (1530) – Le Mal Français (Extrait du Livre De contagionibus, 1546) '', Paris, 1869">''Hieronymi Fracastorii Veronensis Operum Pars Prior.'' 1591.
(Philosoph. & medical writings, Latin text)
''Fracastor – La Syphilis (1530) – Le Mal Français (Extrait du Livre De contagionibus, 1546) '', Paris, 1869
(Latin and French transl.) *[http://digilander.libero.it/camdic/FRACASTORO"> ''Fracastor – La Syphilis (1530) – Le Mal Français (Extrait du Livre De contagionibus, 1546) '', Paris, 1869
(Latin and French transl.)
Congress Eur. Acad. Dermatology and Venereology, Paris 2008, (abstract in English, links to publ.)
Nahum Tate's English translation of ''Syphilis''
(a translation of 1686 in a reprint of 1714), the first full translation of ''Syphilis'' into any language.
University of Oklahoma Libraries, History of Science Collections, Online Galleries

Places and memorials related to Girolamo Fracastoro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fracastoro, Girolamo 1478 births 1553 deaths Scientists from Verona Italian poets Italian male poets 16th-century Italian physicians Italian Renaissance writers New Latin-language poets Writers from Verona Physicians from Verona 16th-century Latin-language writers