Italy Revisited by Mary Melfi

Health Care
Italy - Pre 1969 or Around the World, Click here

Italy

Date: Centuries-old

Notes: Prior to World War II Europeans, including Italians, believed that hot chicken soup had medicinal value. However, those living in the Southern Italian countryside, wouldn't make chicken soup for a sick person unless they were really ill or really young. Back then chickens were generally raised for their eggs (A healthy chicken could live for 7 years and produce an egg a day), so they were more valuable alive than on the table. New mothers were treated to chicken soup in the belief that it would aid in the production of breast milk. Photo: by the contributor.

Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Casacalenda, Molise, Italy

Date: centuries-old

Notes: Prior to World War II the chestnut tree was seen as having medicinal value in the town of Casacalenda, Molise. The leaves of the chestnut tree were boiled in water and then this treated water would be applied to warts or other types of skin problems. Chestnut shells were also used for cosmetic purposes. Chestnut shells were boiled in water; the resulting brown-colored mixture was then applied to gray hair with the hope that it would color it brown. The chestnut-shell-colored water was considered a very poor quality hair dye, but as few farmers could afford commercial hair dyes, the occasional woman with pre-maturing gray hair might have given it a try. Whether it worked or not, hard to say.
Photo: Mary Melfi.

Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Molise

Date: 1930s

Notes: Prior to World War II wounds were often treated with "urine therapy." Not only did adults use their own urine to help speed up the healing process, but children when they got cuts were told to go and pee on them. While this remedy may seem counterproductive to North Americans, there seems to be some evidence that urine does help in the healing process. Some holistic health practitioners advocate the use of urine therapy for a wide variety of conditions, including peeing on a wound to prevent infection when no medical resources are available. In any case, healthy urine is a non-toxic compound that does no harm when applied to wounds.

Contributed by: Information provided by Maria Palazzo, image, courtesy of the Library of Congress #10740

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Casacalenda, Molise, Italy

Date: Centuries-old remedy

Notes: Prior to World War II minor health complaints like headaches and stomach aches were often blamed on "the evil eye." To prevent getting struck by "the evil eye" townspeople wore religious medallions and/or charms. Wearing a decorative "corno" (an ox horn often made in gold) on a necklace or pinned to one's garment was considered an effective way of warding off "the evil eye."
The photo of a stylized "corno" was taken by Mary Melfi.

Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Italy

Date: Centuries-old

Notes: Prior to World War II religion and health care in Italy were intrinsically linked. Back then Italy (nor did Canada) have "Medicare" -- "free" access to medical services. Nowadays both countries do, but at the time most individuals, particularly those living in the countryside, had little, if any, recourse to affordable medical care. Besides the use of home-made remedies and evil eye antidotes, Italians turned to their faith in times of crisis. Everyone (few skeptics back then) believed in the power of prayer. Medical cures were inevitably ascribed to the intervention of la Madonna or a favored saint. Nowadays the medical community would attribute these cures to "the placebo effect." Still, miracles did happen. Photo: by the contributor.

Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Italy

Date: 1900s

Notes: Here is an image of Mother Cabrini. Her religious order, the "Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart" did charitable and religious work among the very poor, first in Italy, and then abroad. She established over 70 hospitals, schools and orphanages throughout the world. In the late 19th century and early 20th century quite a number of hospitals in Italy were run by religious orders. Nuns often acted as nurses (though, of course, they were not paid a salary, but were given room and board in return for their services). Despite the involvement of the church in health care, most services were beyond the means of the average Italian. Prior to World War II those living in the countryside had little, if any access, to hospital care. While "charity wings" in certain hospitals in Italy's larger centers did take in the needy, those living in the countryside couldn't afford the travel costs to get there. So, the sick and the dying were generally taken care of by family members at home; local doctors were called in, but only in times of emergency, as their fees were considered too high. Italian-born Mother Cabrini (became an American citizen in the 1912) tried to revolutionize Italian health care by not only insisting that all people, regardless of income, should have access to good medical care, but by actually going out into the world and creating institutions that offered free medical care to those in need. Being a dynamic and charismatic figure (the Oprah of her day) she managed to raise funds for dozens of first-rate hospitals in her lifetime (Columbus Hospital in New York City is just one of the many projects she saw to completion). In 1946 Mother Cabrini became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. She is considered the patron saint of immigrants.
A copy of the painting from which the image of Mother Cabrini was taken from can be found in the Church of La Madonna della Difesa in Montreal's Little Italy. For more information visit: www.mothercabrini.org.

Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Cattolica Eraclea, Sicily, Italy

Date: 1960

Notes: At eighteen months old Alessandroo Bordonaro got a viral infection and in his own words, "da quel momento la mia vita non e stata piu normale." Living in Sicily was difficult, while there was lots of sun, "la miseria" (poverty) cast a dark shadow. After World War II his parents immigrated to Canada; he stayed in Italy where his aunt looked after his care. Eight years after his parents immigrated, he decided to make Canada his home as well. After his parents died, he resided at Centro Dante where he found a new, loving family: "Qui me sento veramente bene, sono contento perche sono circondato da gente premurosa che non bada al ceto sociale, o alla ricchezza. Qui siamo tutti uguali. Una vera familglia!"
The photo and short biography of Alessandro Bordonaro were first published in Centro Dante's "Album di Famiglia (1996)." Permission to use the material was given by Santa Cabrini Hospital's administration. For further information visit: www.santacabrini.qc.ca.

Contributed by: Courtesy of the Santa Cabrini Hospital

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