The Famous Case of Rheumatic Hematuria Described by Giammatteo Ferrari da Grado, Professor at the University of Pavia (1432-1472)

Abstract

Giammatteo Ferrari da Grado was an influential professor and teacher of medicine at the University of Pavia in middle of the 15th century. He authored three important texts, among which is the Consilia, a collection of cases he visited and/or consulted. Among these, Ferrari describes a case of rheumatic hematuria in an eminent patient, Gaston de Foix, prince of Navarre. Following a precise description of the symptoms, he makes a complex pathogenic interpretation based on the theory of humors current at the time, and goes on to offer his patient a generous spectrum of herbal, hygienic and dietetic remedies.