Origin and development of modern medicine at the University of Padua and the role of the “Serenissima” Republic of Venice

INTRODUCTION The University of Padua Medical School played a fundamental role in the history of medicine. Padua is a very old town, probably one of the oldest in North Italy. Traditional legend tells that the Trojan prince Antenore founded Padua in 1183 BC. At the beginning of the Roman Empire, Padua was an important town, both for its strategic position as an ultimate defence point against barbarian populations of North Europe and for its famous horse breeding, which made it the main supplier of horses to the Roman army. In the late Middle Ages, even before the rule of Venice, Padua was a prosperous city state adhering to the values of tolerance, civilization and democracy. During that era, Padua was particularly famous for its school of civil and religious law, which was the cornerstone for the upcoming university. The University of Padua is one of the oldest universities in the world. It was founded in 1222 when a large number of scholars and professors left the University of Bologna to look for more academic freedom. As the city of Padua was long recognized for its cultural richness and liberal schools, the University was established spontaneously, not by “ex privilegio”, which was a special decree of the emperor or the Pope needed to build a new university at that time. For centuries, many influential physicians and scientists contributed in the development of modern medicine in this institution. In addition to its impact on the history of modern medicine, the University of Padua hosted many eminent figures in all fields of science and humanities, such as Pietro d’Abano (physician and philosopher), Francesco Petrarca (poet), Pietro Bembo (poet and linguist), Giacomo Casanova (humanist), Prospero Alpino (botanist and voyager), Pietro Arduino (botanist), Nicolaus Copernicus (astronomer and physician), Elena Cornaro Piscopia (philosopher and the first woman to have a doctorate degree in the western world) and Galileo Galilei (mathematician and astronomer).