Physical pain is an enemy for man, because it can easily steal him dignity, for this reason I am a firm believer that it is necessary to put among top priorities, in the field of medical-surgical research, a more effective fight against pain. This élan has accompanied the history of mankind, and in recent years it has seen an extraordinary progress, thanks also to Italian research’.
This is what our founder has written in the preface of the book: ‘Il dolore e la sua terapia nella medicina occidentale dalle origini alla metà dell’Ottocento. Part I: Dalle origini al Medioevo’, recently published by Pisa University Press and edited by Professor Franco Mosca. This publishing project in two volumes signed by Gianfranco Natale and Alberto Zampieri is, therefore, addressing one of the most important problems in medicine, the treatment of physical pain.
The first volume, today available, (http://www.pisauniversitypress.it/scheda-libro/gianfranco-natale-alberto-zampieri/il-dolore-e-la-sua-terapia-nella-medicina-occidentale-978-886741-6097-354049.html), besides providing curious and interesting etymological insights, also gives a documentation on the prehistoric Greek and Roman periods, up to Middle Ages, with the medical monastic Byzantine and Arab traditions, and the birth of the Salerno school and of the first universities. Here have been taken into consideration the schools and the major medical figures that have contributed to the knowledge and characterization of pain and of its treatment. In particular a greater prominence has been given to pain strictly physical, due to illness and injuries that affect the body. ‘Compassion, mercy: I am pleased to give an introduction to a scientific medical volume, starting from two simple and important words that in their etymological roots express the key of their beauty. Ancient and yet much alive, not surprisingly they express the mainstay of the pontificate of Pope Francis and of the extraordinary Jubilee of 2016. Compassion is participation in suffering, communion in the pain of others’, fruit of love without conditions; mercy is functional expression of compassion, it is pity that induces rescue’. This is what Andrea Bocelli has written, underlining how, what might seem superficially a very technical topic, something for ‘initiated’, is instead a pleasant reading full of interdisciplinary stimuli.’
The proceeds of the book sales will be donated to Progetto Dolore ‘in memory of Amos Martellacci’ of Arpa Foundation whose Honorary President is our Founder.
