Sifilide e altre infezioni nella Milano Moderna: i risultati patologici preliminari dei resti della cripta della Ca’ Granda

The crypt of the Beata Vergine Annunziata is located under the Ospedale Maggiore, called “Ca’ Granda” by the Milanese and known today as the Università Degli Studi di Milano, which was the hospital of the poor of Milan during the Renaissance. Out of the estimated two million bones in the crypt, the majority are commingled, although some maintained anatomical connections. Consequently, the human remains in the crypt represent a tremendous source of scientific and historical knowledge for the reconstruction and understanding of the lives and lifestyles of the populations of Milan of the Renaissance. This presentation will introduce the preliminary pathological results of the first anthropological analyses of the remains, and in particular, infectious diseases. As a result, in addition to cases of osteoarthrosis, possible pellagra, scurvy, and anemia, as well as traumatic lesions (both antemortem and perimortem), the patients of the hospital seem to have suffered from various infectious conditions, as evidenced by the presence of cases of syphilis, septic arthritis, dental infections, skeletal indicators of non-specific infections (including in the superior airways) and possible cases of leprosy (the lack of specific markers of the disease found in the crania prevents a certain diagnosis). These results were compared with necropolises of Milan from the same historical epoch for diachronic studies (project MiAntropo). The recognition and diagnosis of these chronic infections permits the understanding of disease burden for the affected individuals, the reconstruction of the health and life histories of the patients of the hospital and provides information on the symptoms and disability that these individuals may have suffered from and the care they may have received.