title: [The cultural, economic and social context of Ramazzini's Diatriba in the second half of the 17th century--in memory of Pericle Di Pietro on occasion of the third centenary of the publication of the final edition of the Diatriba (Padua, 1713)].
abstract: The paper aims at analyzing the development of Ramazzini's train of thought in Diatriba within the cultural, economic and social context of the Duchy of Modena in the second half of the seventeenth century. The period was characterized by a deep recession affecting every aspect of life in the territory: culture was mostly at the service of the court's image, the economy, mainly based on agriculture, was in crisis and many crafts depended on the demands of the nobility. The culture of the Este court had, however, little influence on Ramazzini's ideas, whereas social and economic aspects were the stimulus to his experimentalism via observation. In this context, Ramazzini was an illuminated nonconformist, who analysed the vulnerability of the population with an anthropological approach that embraced individuals, environment, social and economic status.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di scienze mediche e chirurgiche, materno infantili e dell'adulto - Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia. franco@unimo.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D003469:Culture; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D007558:Italy; D009787:Occupational Medicine / Q000266:history; D011643:Publishing / Q000266:history*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors