Biomedical subjects

E. Pistacchio

Publications and source records attributed to E. Pistacchio.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

[Dental caries: from verminous to infectious disease]

The purpose of our analysis is to study the evolution of knowledge about the etiology of caries. Since ancient times mankind has investigated the causes of a pathology which is at times most painful. Only in the second half of the nineteenth century, with the advent of microbiology, was the relationship between oral bacteria, food residues and tooth decay understood. This important discovery was due to Willoughby Dayton Miller, one of Koch's students. His "chemical-parasitical" theory was universally accepted in a few years. Even now, if we want to explain the causes of caries, we have to start from Miller's study

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

[Plaut-Vincent's angina]

The clinical appearance of fuso-spirillar infection in patients with a serious impairment of the immunitary system was the starting-point for a historical study. At the end of nineteenth century two european researchers clarified the cause of many infections. Association of a spindle-shaped bacillus with a spirillar one was shown to cause several pathologies: necrotic ulcerous stomatitis, pseudomembranous angina, hepatic abscess, otitis, pneumonia, etc. The identification of such bacteria contributed to improving further differential diagnosis with diphteria

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

[Fl gge's droplets]

After a review of the main theories by various authors on the aetiology and transmission modes of tubercular infection, the paper deals with the discovery of the tubercular bacillus made by Koch and the experiments conducted by his co-worker, Cornet, who concluded that the tubercular bacillus was more concentrated around the subject suffering from open pulmonary TBC. However, it was Flugge who eventually clarified beyond any doubt, after many experiments, the real, direct transmission mode of tuberculosis through droplets of saliva emitted by the sick and which are still known today as Flugge's droplets.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1998

[The Costantin Von Economo's lethargic encefalitis]

Starting from the Constantin Von Economo's description of a "new" disease, the lethargic encephalitis, the author delineates the history of an infectious sleeping sickness that caused epidemics in Europe from 1917 to 1928 and led to create, in Italy, the "Institutes for Encephalitis".

Journal Article↗