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  Tuesday  April 30  2002    01: 35 AM

Medical art

The Anatomical Waxes by Clemente Susini of the University of Cagliari

In September 1801 Antonio Boi(1), the professor of anatomy of the University of Cagliari, should have started his third year teaching, but found that he had no auditors (students) due the fact that in Cagliari no one had undertaken medical studies that year. He sought he would take advantage of this situation to go to the continent in order to "acquire more information on his subjects". He therefore asked the permission of Carlo Felice di Savoia, Viceroy of Sardinia. Not only did the latter give permission unhesitantigly, but he accompanied his decision with an emolument (grant) of one hundred Sardinian Scudi taken from the prebend of Assemini, which had been granted to the university of Cagliari seven lustra (35 years) before by pope Clemente XIII, and which represented one of the most important sources of income to the ateneum. Dr. Boi left Cagliari for the continent and went first of all to Pavia, in whose famous University the great Scarpa was professor of Anatomy. He then went to Pisa and to Florence where, although there was no university, studies of anatomy were flourishing thanks to some enlightened provisions taken years before by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Pietro Leopoldo of Asburgo Lorena. At the Arcispedale of Santa Maria Nuova anatomy was thought by Paolo Mascagni who, although he had his professorship in Pisa, had been assigned to that task by a motu proprio of the King of Etruria Lodovico I of Borbone. On his arrival in Florence dr. Boi started attending Mascagni's school, where he obtained so much scientific knowledge that he decided to stay there for four years i.e. till 1805.

It is to his sojourn in Florence that we owe the anatomical waxes of Clemente Susini of the University of Cagliari.
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