title: [Rasori, Borda and the theory of stimolo and contrastimolo].
abstract: Brown's thought represented one of the most successful medical systems which arose in the XVIIIth century, as a consequence of vitalism and as a reaction to the inadequacy of Hippocratic-Galenic medicine. Giovanni Rasori was a strong supporter of Brown's theories in Italy and creator of the scientific movement which was, then, called Rasorism. A fundamental point of Rasori's therapeutic thought was represented by the dynamic action of drugs, so that a pharmacological experimentation became necessary, for medical practice. Siro Borda, who was a follower and personal friend of Rasori, made experiments on 150 substances to identify their dynamic action and, finally, he classified them in three groups: stimolanti, controstimolanti, eterocliti. This last class comprehended all the pharmacological substances of uncertain or not yet determined nature.
authors.affiliation: Centro per la Storia dell'Università di Padova, Università degli Studi di Padova, Italia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ongaro
mesh_terms: D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D007558:Italy; D010686:Philosophy, Medical / Q000266:history*; D006113:United Kingdom
vernacular_title: Rasori, Borda e le dottrine dello stimolo e del controstimolo.