Tra politica e medicina: il no di Bartolo Nigrisoli - Between Politics and Medicine: the Refusal of fascism oath by Bartolo Nigrisoli

Abstract

Bartolo Nigrisoli was a skilled surgeon as well as an excellent clinician. He was not only a very good teacher but also a mentor. He successfully completed thousands of surgeries and excelled in war surgery. He was driven by the idea that the physician was invested with a special mission that he always accompanied with a deep ethical and civil commitment. We can understand his decision in 1931 not to swear allegiance to the fascist regime, thus facing threats, dangers and persecutions because of his morality, his values as a citizen and contemporary as a physician, and the absolute belief in his own civil and cultural ideals. Besides, on the one hand, he was son of the Risorgimento while on the other, of a secular and positive philosophy. In conclusion, that gesture fully reflects all the man's composure and solidity, which he will then pour into the profession, both as a surgeon and as a teacher.