Salerno, saints, and Sutton's Law: on the origin of Europe's "First" medical school.
When the famous bank robber, Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he replied, ''Because that's where the money is'' The Salerno school is often described as the first European school of medicine. Many scholars have offered theories to account for its origins, including the idea that it is merely a historical "construct" and not a school at all. This paper proposes another hypothesis based on a juxtaposition of primary sources, secondary literature, and observations of religious worship in the Salerno region. An extraordinary number of sites sacred to the memory of doctor saints dot the coastal promontory near Salerno. This concentration of medical saints might be explained by the church catering to a populace aware of the secular healing tradition in nearby Salerno. But if the saints came with or even before the school, both church and medicine could be seen as responding to a preexisting local need. Sutton's Law points to another hypothesis. Famous for its climate, gardens, and natural beauty, the coast served as a health resort since at least the time of ancient Rome. As a result, sick people with resources have long traveled to the region in search of comfort and cures. Saints and doctors followed the sick (and their money).
Hannah Chair of the History of Medicine, Queen's University, 78 Barrie St., Kingston, Ontario, Canada. duffinj@queensu.ca
Jacalyn
J
Duffin
D005060:Europe; D049673:History, 20th Century; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000266:history*