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The Renaissance and the universal surgeon: Giovanni Andrea Della Croce, a master of traumatology

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Abstract

All the medical knowledge of all time in one book, the universal and perfect manual for the Renaissance surgeon, and the man who wrote it. This paper depicts the life and works of Giovanni Andrea della Croce, a 16th Century physician and surgeon, who, endowed with true spirit of Renaissance humanism, wanted to teach and share all his medical knowledge through his opus magnum, titled “Universal Surgery Complete with All the Relevant Parts for the Optimum Surgeon”. An extraordinary book which truly represents a defining moment and a founding stone for traumatology, written by a lesser known historical personality, but nonetheless the Renaissance Master of Traumatology.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Liliana Draghetti (Donazione Putti, Biblioteche Scientifiche, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute) and Keith Smith (Task Force, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute) for their help.

All the authors of this paper declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomechanics Laboratory, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Via di Barbiano n. 1/10, 40136, Bologna, Italy

    Berardo Di Matteo, Vittorio Tarabella, Giuseppe Filardo & Maurilio Marcacci

  2. Donazione Putti, Biblioteche Scientifiche Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Via di Barbiano n. 1/10, 40136, Bologna, Italy

    Anna Viganò & Patrizia Tomba

Authors
  1. Berardo Di Matteo
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  2. Vittorio Tarabella
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  3. Giuseppe Filardo
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  4. Anna Viganò
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  5. Patrizia Tomba
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  6. Maurilio Marcacci
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Correspondence to Berardo Di Matteo.

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Di Matteo, B., Tarabella, V., Filardo, G. et al. The Renaissance and the universal surgeon: Giovanni Andrea Della Croce, a master of traumatology. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 37, 2523–2528 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-013-2111-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-013-2111-2

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