Pratica anatomica ospedaliera a Milano al tempo di Leonardo

Starting from 1361 Lombardy was the epicenter of an almost uninterrupt- ed series of plague outbreaks. The ducal authorities institutionalized the office of the physicus epidemiae, a government physician (often a surgeon) entrusted with the task of promptly identifying and reporting suspect deaths caused by highly infectious diseases. It became compulsory to report all cases occurring in the city of deaths or pathologies that were potentially contagious so as to allow the physician of the Office, “commonly known as the Catelano”, to assess the nature of the death or disease. The long of 15th century his reports became more detailed. This information was gained not only from the testimony of relatives, friends and acquaintances, but also from an accurate examination of the body. The dukes’ personal and direct interest for experimentation in the anatomical field that the Ca’ Granda Chapter of Deputies had by 1491 made into a regular practice, albeit upon the discretion of the hospital physicians – post-mortem ex- perimentation carried out on pauper patients that Leonardo would later record in drawings that would become immortal.