Giovanni Rossi e il Teatro chirurgico di Parma

Abstract

Before the chair of surgery at the University of Parma was entrusted to Giovanni Rossi, in 1828, the training of future surgeons was still essentially based on theoretical knowledge. It was Rossi himself who improved the teaching of the discipline: he admitted the importance for students to learn more about human anatomy through the observation of surgical operations and anatomy lessons on the corpse. With this in mind, in 1838, Rossi, who had been appointed professor of clinical surgery two years earlier, promoted the construction of a surgical theatre at the Misericordia Hospital. It took a few years to complete the project, due to the changes he wanted to make during the construction phase and the high construction costs. Finally, the work was completed thanks to funding from Duchess Maria Luigia and the inauguration was celebrated in 1845. Giovanni Rossi also wanted to establish a library next to the dissection rooms. Currently, only an interesting series of architectural drawings of the surgical theatre are preserved in the State Archives of Parma, which illustrate the complexity of the construction and furnishings.