title: [Et d'allhora in poi, mai si sentì più bene: a historical survey to find nursing origins in post-tridentine whitchcraft lawsuits in County of Bormio (1596-1630)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The phenomenon of witch-hunting in the post-tridentine period is a crucial moment for the history of nursing care. Modern historiography tells that women accused of witchcraft were custodian of female knowledge, both in domestic and small communities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the witchcraft phenomenon in specific context of Bormio country- side, in order to identify proper nursing acts in gestures of women accused of witchcraft or sorcery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Process for witchcraft - sorcery against 7 women in Bormio, between 1590 and 1631, were reviewed through a historical research methodology: sources retrieval, description and documentary analysis characterization, interpretation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In nearly all legal proceedings analyzed an indictment due to a healthcare expertise was found in terms of touch, feed, nearness, word. By multiple daily acts of women, intention to help and to express solidarity was clear, in a scenario of disease and suffering, solidarity is shown by acts of care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As a result of this study, we can resume that the period of the witches, so hard for women , was an age of repression for history of nursing itself. Mankind lifestyle, assistance, aid are ontological and anthropological foundations of nursing. Therefore, a past research of the traces of those foundations could mean rebuilding the own sense of nursing act: we tried to get an approach to that sense also "listening to" the gestures of women in Bormio.
authors.affiliation: Infermiera, Tutor didattico Corso di Laurea in Infermieri- stica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Sezione 'A.O. Ospedale Civile di Legnano'. Correspondence: paola.arcadi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arcadi
authors.affiliation: Infermiere, Direttore Esecutivo Istituto Palazzolo Bergamo.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manzoni
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006676:History of Nursing; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007884:Legislation, Nursing; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018599:Witchcraft / Q000266:history*; D055815:Young Adult