Paul Zacchias
{{Expand Italian|topic=bio|Paolo_Zacchia|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Paul Zacchias
| image = PaulZacchias.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Portrait of Paul Zacchias
| birth_date = 1584
| birth_place = Rome, Lazio, Italy
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1659|3|21|1584||}}
| death_place = Rome, Lazio, Italy
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| citizenship =
| nationality = Italian
| ethnicity =
| field = Medicine
Medical jurisprudence
| work_institutions =
| education = Sapienza University of Rome (M.D., about 1608)
| doctoral_advisor = Marsilio Cagnati
| doctoral_students =
| known_for = Quaestiones medico-legales, 1621–35 on legal medicine
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}}
Paolo Zacchia (1584–1659) was an Italian physician, teacher of medical science and forensic medicine, medico-legal jurist, philosopher, and poet. He is said to have been personal physician to Pope Innocentius X and Pope Alexander VII.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T7RXAAAAMAAJ&q=paul+zacchias&pg=PA532|title=The Medico-legal journal, Volume 2|publisher=Medico-Legal Journal Association|year=1885|author=Medico-Legal Society of New York}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xnqI8uSeekwC&q=paul+zacchias&pg=PA75|title='On the Beliefs of the Greeks': Leo Allatios and Popular Orthodoxy|last=Hartnup|first=Karen|date=2004-01-01|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9004131809|language=en}} Zacchias was also legal adviser to the Rota Romana, the highest Papal court of appeals, and head of the medical system in the Papal States. His most well-known book in three volumes, Quæstiones medico-legales (1621–1651), established legal medicine as a topic of study.Händel K (2003) 'Paolo Zacchia – der geistige Vater der Rechts-medizin', Arch Kriminol Vol. 212, No. 3–4 (Sep–Oct 2003), pp.65–73{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eFTlAAAAMAAJ&q=paul+zacchias&pg=PA1572|title=JAMA.: The Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 38|publisher=American Medical Association, HighWire Press|year=1902|pages=618}}
Zacchias's work also contains superstitious views on magic, witches, and demons which were widely held.{{cite book | title=Northwestern lancet, Volume 18 | year=1898 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oxcTAAAAYAAJ&q=paul+zacchias&pg=PA261}} At the time, both theological and medical knowledge were required to differentiate natural causes of sickness from supernatural causes which might require attention of the Catholic church. Zacchias took a skeptical approach that attempted to eliminate natural causes before diagnosing phenomena as witchcraft. Medical practitioners at his time were also made available to diagnose and assess between miracles and natural causes.
He is known to have argued that minors make proper test subjects to be put to torture. Despite these views, Zacchias is seen to have notably progressed the works of jurisprudence in medicine of the time period.
Biography
Paul Zacchias was born in Rome in 1584 and died in the city in 1659. He was director of the health system of the Papal States, as well as legal adviser to the Rota Romana, the highest Papal court of appeals.{{Cite book |last=Rousseau |first=George S. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JU_LlvZlJbcC&q=Policing+the+anus%3A+stuprum+and+sodomy+according+to+Paolo+Zacchia+%E2%80%98Forensic+medicine&pg=PA75 |title=The Sciences of Homosexuality in Early Modern Europe |date=2013-01-11 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136015748 |editor-last=Borris |editor-first=Kenneth |language=en |chapter=Policing the anus: stuprum and sodomy according to Paolo Zacchia's forensic medicine |editor-last2=Rousseau |editor-first2=George S.}}
Under Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire in 1532, legal medicine was introduced to the court system via penal code. However, Zacchias's work helped to add scientific basis to the legal practice and court system.{{Cite journal |last=Foster |first=Burnside |date=1898-07-01 |title=The History of Medicine and of the Medical Profession |url=https://archive.org/details/northwesternlan01unkngoog/page/n269 |journal=Northwestern Lancet |language=en |location=St. Paul, MN |publisher=W. L. Klein |volume=18 |page=261 |editor-first1=Alex J. |editor-last1=Stone |editor-first2=William |editor-last2=Davis}}
''Quæstiones medico-legales''
File:Zacchia, Paolo – Quaestiones medico-legales, 1701 – BEIC 14423695.jpg
Quæstiones medico-legales is divided into three sections. The first section contains decisions of the Rota Romana during his time serving on it. The other two sections cover questions of human physiology. In them, he examines problems such as the formation of hermaphrodites, and the animation of the foetus and superfoetation. The later two volumes also include many observations by Zacchias on mental disease. Zacchias was also familiar with hypochondriacal disorder or those without genuine illness.
Quæstiones medico-legales was translated into several other languages from Latin, and was used by medical practitioners into the 18th century. Since 2008, a [https://jacalynduffin.ca/zacchia/ collaborative online project] of scholars has been crowd-sourcing an English-language translation of the 85 Consilia at the end of this important book.
= Editions =
- {{Cite book |last=Zacchias |first=Paul |url=https://gutenberg.beic.it/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=14423695 |title=Quaestiones medico-legales |publisher=Jean Anisson & Jean Posuel |year=1701 |volume=1 |location=Lyon |language=la |ref=none |author-mask=2}}
- {{Cite book |last=Zacchias |first=Paul |url=https://gutenberg.beic.it/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=14424162 |title=Quaestiones medico-legales |publisher=Jean Anisson & Jean Posuel |year=1701 |volume=2 |location=Lyon |language=la |ref=none |author-mask=2}}
- {{Cite book |last=Zacchias |first=Paul |url=https://gutenberg.beic.it/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=14424575 |title=Quaestiones medico-legales |publisher=Jean Anisson & Jean Posuel |year=1701 |volume=3 |location=Lyon |language=la |ref=none |author-mask=2}}
References
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External links
- {{DBI |title= ZACCHIA, Paolo |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/paolo-zacchia_(Dizionario-Biografico)|last1= De Renzi |first1= Silvia||last2= Tonetti|first2= Luca|volume= 100}}
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Category:Medical jurisprudence
Category:17th-century Italian physicians