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Folk Sayings on Health
Italy - Pre 1969 or Around the World, Click here

Emilia Romagna, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Mental Health -- by Region -- Emilia Romagna
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): A paser j ani, pasa al morben.
      o in English: With the passage of years, the madness passes. (Meaning) With age comes wisdom.
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Emilia Romagna, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Health -- How Are You? -- by Region -- Emilia Romagna
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Cum ste? Cume e pes te paier.
      o in English: (Literally) How are you? Like a fish in the barn! (Meaning) How are you? I am not fine at all.
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Emilia Romagna, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Health -- Bodily Functions -- Peeing -- by Region -- Emilia Romagna
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Corp san al pisa cme 'n can.
      o in English: (Literally) A healthy body pisses like a dog. (Meaning) Someone in good health pisses a lot.
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Pri campe sen, bsogna pse spes come i chen.
      o in English: To be healthy, one needs to pee often like the dogs.
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Chi in pessa in cumpagnia l'e un ledri e na spia.
      o in English: (Literally) Who doesn't pee in the countryside is a thief and a spy.
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Se tan cheg t'cagere, se tan pes t'murire.
      o in English: If you don't shit you get stuffed up, if you don't pee you die.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #16040

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Emilia Romagna, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Health -- Mental Health -- Happiness -- by Region -- Emilia Romagna
     
      o in Italian (Dialect) Chi viv in alligri, sempare guadagna!
      o in English: Who lives in happiness, always earns.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1562086

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Emilia Romagna, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Health -- Doctors (Negative) -- by Region -- Emilia Romagna
     
      o in Italian (Dialect): Meju un asi san che un dutur mortu.
      o in English: Better a donkey in good health than a dead doctor.
     
      o in Italian: Faceva come il dottor Mugnega che curava il buco del culo per una piaga.
      o in English: (Literally) Did like Dr. Mugnega who mistook the asshole for a wound. (Meaning) A professional who is very incompetent.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The Library of Congress #17865r

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Emilia Romagna, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverb or Folk Saying on Food -- Poverty -- by Region -- Emilia Romagna
     
      o E' signore e' magna quand ch'l'la fan; e puret quand ch'un n'a.
     
      o The rich eat when they're hungry; the poor when they can.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital Gallery #1213060

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Lombardy, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Health -- Doctors (Negative) -- by Region -- Lombardy
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Vin da cantina, broeu da galina, i manda i dutur an ruina.
      o in English: (Literally) Wine from the cellar, chicken broth -- they're the ruin of doctors. (Meaning) Doctors often prescribe remedies that have no value for their patients.
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Lombardy, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Health -- by Region -- Lombardy -- Preventive Medicine -- Garlic
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) L'ai l'e 'l spissier del contadi
      o in English: (Literally) Garlic is the pharmacy of the peasant. (Meaning) Prior to World War II garlic was widely used to cure all sorts of ailments by those living in the Italian countryside.
Contributed by: Image courtesy of The New York Public Library, Digital gallery #1232290

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Lombardy, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Italian Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Preventive Medicine -- by Region -- Lombardy
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Mangia pocch, mangia pian, va de lontan se semper allegher se te voeuret staa san.
      o in English: Eat little, eat slowly, go far and always be happy if you want to stay healthy.
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) El var pusse un bon ripos che un mica nel gos.
      o in English: (Literally) It's better to have a good rest, than to have a loaf of bread in one's stomach. (Meaning) It's better to rest after one has eaten than to be forced to go back to work.
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Par viv san e scampa vicc ghe vor tre ropp: tante pape, poche pipe e mie pive.
      o in English: (Literally) To live a long and healthy life one needs three things: baby food, little of smoking the pipe, and never to be empty handed. (Meaning) To live and long and healthy life one needs three things: food easy to digest, no smoking, and a good income.
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Marche, Italy
Date: Centuries-old
Notes: Proverbs or Folk Sayings on Doctors (Negative) --by Region (Negative) -- Marche
     
     
      o in Italian: Il medico va e viene e chi ha il male se lo tiene.
      o in English: The doctor comes in and goes, and the one who is sick, is still sick.
     
      o in Italian: Gli sbagli dei medici finiscono sotta terra.
      o in English: (Literally) The mistakes of doctors end up underground. (Meaning) Doctors' mistakes are buried along with their dead patients.
     
      o in Italian: (Dialect) Lu 'malatu se more e corpa de lu medicu, se campa e un miraculu.
      o in English: If the patient dies it's the fault of the doctor, if he lives it's a miracle.
     
     
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