The contribution of intellectuals to the history of traumatology during the Renaissance: treatment of femoral fracture through François Rabelais' glossocomion.
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, intellectuals often included clinical cases and medical descriptions in their literary works. These authors appeared to be more interested in internal and infectious diseases rather than in musculoskeletal disorders and orthopaedics. François Rabelais (1490-1553) was one of the most renowned humanists and philologists of the sixteenth century. He was also a physician with an interest in translating ancient texts of medical authors. Rabelais rediscovered a device for treating femoral fracture originally described by the Roman physician Galen and named as glossocomion. Since the original apparatus had some imperfections, Rabelais redesigned and modified it. This new, improved version became a model for new devices for treating femoral fracture, as also reported by the great French surgeon Ambroise Paré. For this contribution, Rabelais deserves major consideration in the history of orthopaedics and traumatology.
School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, via Cadore 48, I-20900, Monza, Italy.|Unit of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Istituti Clinici Zucchi, via Zucchi, 24, Monza, I-20900, Italy.
Francesco
F
Manzini
Unit of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Istituti Clinici Zucchi, via Zucchi, 24, Monza, I-20900, Italy.
Claudio
C
Manzini
School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, via Cadore 48, I-20900, Monza, Italy.
Giancarlo
G
Cesana
School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, via Cadore 48, I-20900, Monza, Italy. michele.riva@unimib.it.
Michele Augusto
MA
Riva
D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000266:history / Q000601:surgery*; D049669:History, 16th Century; D006801:Humans; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000266:history*; D066231:Surgeons; D014194:Traumatology / Q000266:history*
Femural fracture; François rabelais; History; Renaissance; Traumatology