Bernardino Ramazzini's De Morbis Artificum Diatriba on Workers' Health-the Birth of a New Discipline.

This paper provides a picture of the observations made over three hundred years ago by Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714) in light of current topical issues ranging from health problems related to work and lifestyle habits to the current burdensome COVID-19 pandemic. The main aspects of his work consist of descriptions of disorders linked to environmental risks, suggestions for measures for risk protection, and recommendations for healthy living. This paper focuses on Ramazzini's most relevant achievements by (1) analyzing the episodes that stimulated the composition of his main work and highlighting some observations on which current epidemiological and toxicological studies are based; (2) reviewing his work showing not only the systematic descriptions of work-related illnesses caused by occupational factors but also his sound etiological and physiopathological contributions to the field of occupational lung diseases, breast cancer, and environmental disorders; and (3) remarking on his main observations in the fields of risk prevention and health promotion, also in the light of some highly topical issues related to unhealthy lifestyle habits and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 1711 rinderpest in Bernardino Ramazzini's XIII Oration and the COVID-19 public health emergency: facts and common aspects.

Although Bernardino Ramazzini is usually regarded only as the father of occupational medicine, his approach to fight the devastating rinderpest epidemic in 1711 is worth mentioning in the light of the public health emergency represented by Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). This commentary (i) focuses on Ramazzini's xiii oration describing that event, (ii) analyses the approach suggested to fight the cattle epidemic and economic threats, (iii) highlights some similar aspects between the 1711 rinderpest epidemic and the current COVID-19 pandemic (team expertise, contagion transmissibility, drug treatment, preventive measures, decision timeliness).

[Ethical values and virtues of the Diatriba. A tribute to Bernardino Ramazzini on the tercentenary of his death (1714)].

Based on Hyppocratic values of ancient medicine, Ramazzini's way of thinking prefigures the social medicine that was to be an achievement of the Enlightenment. This contribution aims at analyzing the ethical aspects of the Diatriba. The preface already contains elements that constitute the ethical manifesto of Ramazzini.

Scientific research of senior Italian academics of occupational medicine: a citation analysis of products published during the decade 2001-2010.

This article analyzes 10 years of scientific publications among senior Italian academics in occupational medicine by means of citation analysis. Articles published during the decade 2001-2010 were analyzed by means of Elsevier's Scopus. Scientific performance was assessed by means of 9 different indices (including total number of papers, total citations, h-index).

Research evaluation and competition for academic positions in occupational medicine.

Citation analysis is widely used to evaluate the performance of individual researchers, journals, and universities. Its outcome plays a crucial role in the decision-making process of ranking applicants for an academic position. A number of indicators, including the h-index reflecting both scientific productivity and its relevance in medical fields, are available through the Web of Knowledge( sm ) and Scopus®.

Bernardino Ramazzini and women workers' health in the second half of the XVIIth century.

In the second half of the XVIIth century, pre-industrial society made extensive use of women's work. In his treatise, Diseases of Workers, published in 1700, Bernardino Ramazzini explored health conditions of women employed in different production sectors, describing their health problems and providing advice and remedies. This paper aims at reviewing his observations for women employed in different occupations, entailing exposure to dangerous materials and ergonomically challenging works.

Bernardino Ramazzini and the new epidemics of work-related disorders.

Work-related diseases (such as musculoskeletal disorders, neoplasms cardiocirculatory and psycho-social problems disorders) represent an increasing problem that countries are becoming aware of. In particular, musculoskeletal disorders, affecting workers in a variety of occupations, are a major cause of lost time from work and workers' disability. The paper reviews Ramazzini's observations of musculoskeletal disorders of subjects working in the second half of the seventeenth century.

Occupational health practice and exposure to nanoparticles: reconciling scientific evidence, ethical aspects, and legal requirements.

The paper aims at focusing the relationship between scientific evidence and ethical values' issues of occupational health practice according to the new Italian law 81/2008 stating that the occupational health physician (OHP) is required to act according to the Code of Ethics of the International Commission on Occupational Health. The code itself emphasizes that (i) the practice should be relevant, knowledge-based, sound, and appropriate to the occupational risks and (ii) the objectives and methods of health surveillance must be clearly defined. Because exposure to nanoparticles involves several uncertainties about health effects and may limit the effectiveness of workers' health surveillance, OHPs face a several ethical dilemmas, involving different stakeholders.

[The course of study in occupational medicine in a European perspective].

The present renewment of the education and training process of the Italian postgraduate schools of specialization involves the need to implement a network of formative structures including teaching resources and to adjust the formative standard for acquiring new professional competence. This contribute aims at comparing some aspects of the course of study in occupational medicine on European level, analysing the standard of competence, describing some critical aspects of the harmonization of the processes in different countries, and pointing out the OBJECTIVE of the World Health Assembly's global plan of action on workers' health aiming at extending the concept of workers' health.

Focusing ethical dilemmas of evidence-based practice in SMF-exposed MRI-workers: a qualitative analysis.

Purpose: To analyze ethical dilemmas for occupational health physicians and other stakeholders involved in the implementation of a surveillance program in workers exposed to static magnetic fields (SMF) used in magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: The ethical analysis was carried out according to the model proposed by Westerholm and others, which takes into account two elements: (i) the stakeholders involved in the decision process and (ii) the ethical principles of beneficence, autonomy and justice. The analysis is based on the assessment of ethical costs (violating the consistent principle) and ethical benefits (fulfillment of the consistent principle) for workers, employers, occupational health physicians, community, workers' representatives and medical inspectors.

[Occupational medicine: practice and ethical requirements of the new law on health and safety in the workplace (legislative decree 81/2008)].

Decisions in occupational health may involve ethical conflicts arising from conflicts between stakeholders' interests. Codes of ethics can provide a practical guide to solve dilemmas. The new law on health and safety in the workplace in Italy (decree 81/2008) states that occupational health practice must comply with the code of ethics of the International Commission on Occupational Health.

Job-related risk of latent tuberculosis infection in a homogeneous population of hospital workers in a low incidence area.

Background: Few comprehensive tuberculin surveys were carried out in a homogeneous population of health care workers (HCWs) in a low incidence area to assess the risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection by different occupational groups and units.

Methods: Community and occupational factors and tuberculin skin test (TST) reactivity were determined in 1,755 HCWs.

Results: The overall prevalence of tuberculin reactivity was 6%.

Finding toxicological information: An approach for occupational health professionals.

Background: It can be difficult for occupational health professionals to assess which toxicological databases available on the Internet are the most useful for answering their questions. Therefore we evaluated toxicological databases for their ability to answer practical questions about exposure and prevention. We also propose recommended practices for searching for toxicological properties of chemicals.

Evaluation of medical decisions' effectiveness: a 4-year evidence-based study in a health care setting.

Objectives: Specific studies evaluating the effectiveness of the judgement of fitness for work formulated by occupational physicians (OP) are needed. The evaluation consists in investigating OPs' decisions by measuring their impact on health with specific indicators. This specific study aims at assessing, through outcome indicators, the effectiveness of medical decisions in 61 cases leading to preventive interventions.