title: [Notes on respiratory and cardiac pathology in an unpublished letter of Maurizio Bufalini].
abstract: An unpublished letter written by Maurizio Bufalini on 8th January 1820 describes a clinical case of considerable gravity characterized by asthma with pleural effusion and "dilatation of the vena cava". On this basis, the state of knowledge of asthma in that period, particularly in relation to heart diseases, is reviewed. Following a careful examination of the letter, the possibility that M. Bufalini may have been a forerunner of the modern concept of cor pulmonale is suggested.
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D011660:Pulmonary Heart Disease / Q000266:history*
vernacular_title: Spunti di patologia respiratoria e cardiaca in una lettera inedita di Maurizio Bufalini.