Épidémies V et VII, vol. 4, pt 3

collected here were written in Italian by amanuenses and seem to have been intended for publication. A further 26 consultation letters are also included but these were seemingly confidential and not for publication. Most, but not all, of the cases begin with a letter of petition, a request for advice from a physician who describes the case. Torti, of course, had not seen most of the sufferers. The patients included many from the nobility, the clergy and a number of nuns. A wide range of illnesses was discussed: asthma, hysterical convulsions, palpitations, difficulty in swallowing and uterine sickness to name but the first five. Torti was prolix but eschewed great displays of learning. Hippocrates and Galen are called on occasionally, but interestingly much more often Sydenham and Willis. There is plenty of evidence here that, when the case seemed to merit it, Italian physicians had no hesitation in palpating their patients' abdomens. For example a physician to a countess reported she had "obstructions in her pancreatic and mesenteric glands and vessels, which at present can still be felt on palpation" (p. 427). Torti proclaimed he had little time for theory. But of course all the theoretical assumptions of the early modern physician are here: the importance of the constitution, of temperament, humoral balance, regular evacuation and the centrality of diet for example. Torti was not afraid of drugs and exotic polypharmacy. One recipe for arthritis required, amongst other things, oats, China root, sarsaparilla, lobster tails and frog thighs boiled in a pullet's stomach (p. 293). Jarcho has provided a helpful introduction to a valuable window into early modern social and medical life in Italy. It will remain as a longstanding monument to his memory.