In 2017, Italy passed a law that provides for a systematic discipline on informed consent, advance directives, and advance care planning. It ranges from decisions contextual to clinical necessity through the tool of consent/refusal to decisions anticipating future events through the tools of shared care planning and advance directives. Nothing is said in the law regarding the issue of physician assisted suicide. Following the DJ Fabo case, the Italian Constitutional Court declared the constitutional illegitimacy of article 580 of the criminal (...) code in the part in which it does not exclude the punishment of those who facilitate the suicide when the decision has been freely and autonomously made by a person kept alive by life-support treatments and suffering from an irreversible pathology, the source of physical or psychological suffering that he/she considers intolerable, but fully capable of making free and conscious decisions. Such conditions and methods of execution must be verified by a public structure of the national health service, after consulting the territorially competent ethics committee. This statement admits, within strict and regulated bounds, physician assisted suicide, so widening the range of end-of-life decisions for Italian patients. Future application and critical topics will be called into question by the Italian legislator. (shrink)

Next SectionMonicelli's suicide has reawakened a political and legal dispute about the medical role in end-of-life decisions, allowing us to discuss medical, ethical, legal, religious and political debate in various paradigmatic conscious and unconscious cases of end-of-life decision. We analyse the uncertainty about the ‘a priori’ choice between different specific legislative systems, highlighting the need for a unifying model, dictated by the existing trust in the critical relationship between patient and doctor, whose primary mission should be not only ‘to cure’ (...) but also ‘to care’. (shrink)

Although use of assisted reproduction techniques was examined by an ad hoc act in 2004 in Italy, there are many opposing views about ethical and economic implications of the technologies dealing with infertility and sterility problems. In this paper, the authors examine a recent judge's decision that ordered the removal and subsequent adoption of a 1-year-old child because her parents were considered too old to be parents. The couple had had recourse to heterologous artificial insemination abroad and decided to give (...) birth in Italy. The judgement deals with and discusses the complex issue of the right to procreate in order to balance the opportunities offered by scientific progress with the unborn child's condition. (shrink)

Objective:Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR), Health Anxiety (HA), worry, and uncertainty in illness are psychological concerns commonly faced by cancer patients. In survivorship research, these similar, yet different constructs are frequently used interchangeably and multiple instruments are used in to measure them. The lack of clear and consistent conceptualization and measurement can lead to diverse or contradictory interpretations. The purpose of this scoping review was to review, compare, and analyze the current conceptualization and measurements used for FCR, HA, worry, and (...) uncertainty in the breast cancer survivorship literature to improve research and practice.Inclusion Criteria:We considered quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies of breast cancer survivors that examined FCR, HA, worry, or uncertainty in illness as a main topic and included a definition or assessment of the constructs.Methods and Analysis:The six-staged framework was used to guide the scoping review process. Searches of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases were conducted. The principle-based qualitative analysis and simultaneous content analysis procedures were employed to synthesize and map the findings.Findings:After duplicate removal, the search revealed 3,299 articles, of which 82 studies met the inclusion criteria. Several critical attributes overlapped the four constructs, for example, all were triggered by internal somatic and external cues. However, several unique attributes were found (e.g., a sense of loss of security in the body is observed only among survivors experiencing FCR). Overall, findings showed that FCR and uncertainty in illness are more likely to be triggered by cancer-specific factors, while worry and HA have more trait-like in terms of characteristics, theoretical features, and correlates. We found that the measures used to assess each construct were on par with their intended constructs. Eighteen approaches were used to measure FCR, 15 for HA, 8 for worry, and 4 for uncertainty.Conclusion:While consensus on the conceptualization and measurement of the four constructs has not yet been reached, this scoping review identifies key similarities and differences to aid in their selection and measurement. Considering the observed overlap between the four studied constructs, further research delineating the unique attributes for each construct is warranted. (shrink)

_ Source: _Volume 35, Issue 1, pp 61 - 87 This new edition, with translation and commentary, of Angelo Poliziano’s preface to his Miscellaneorum Centuria Prima should help us to appreciate Poliziano’s importance as a source for Erasmus’ Collectanea adagiorum and Adagiorum Chiliades.

Poliziano´s Favola d´Orfeo is one of the most rich and enigmatic literary works of the Renaissance, specially in terms of the debate it has generated amongst scholars when discerning its allegorical background. Starting from its general contextualization within the simbolic program of Marsilio Ficino´s Florentine Accademy, this paper aims to show: Its uniqueness with regards to the rest of Renaissance philosophical and literary productions of orphic subject; Its particular critical reception of three basic elements of the ficinian system: love, (...) frenzy and catharsis; and Its adoption of a new moralising tendency within Renaissance neoplatonism in explicit accordance with Christianity. (shrink)

Con la obra de Poliziano se refuerza la idea de la existencia de un topos que, por su valencia de significado es adoptado por toda una serie de artistas que de alguna manera expresan en él su propia adhesión a la idea platónica de naturaleza, de lugar metafísico, ideal y abstracto. El "jardín", modelo instrumental y racionalizado, muestra el gusto de finales del siglo XV, que impregna todos los ámbitos de la creatividad, hasta el punto de que la Naturaleza (...) termina siendo una creación de la mente humana. El autor describe en este trabajo cómo el horizonte estético y filosófico trazado por Poliziano en sus Stanze, cuyos valores y gustos recrea, puede tomarse como clave para sondear la extrema complejidad del siglo XV. © Centro de Investigaciones sobre Vico. Cuadernos sobre Vico - Todos los derechos reservados. (shrink)

Among the witnesses of Galen’s Quod animi mores has been not yet employed the excerptum contained in the miscellaneous codex of Munich Clm 807, written in 1491 by the well-known humanist Angelo Poliziano. This excerptum seems to depend on the same model as the 1525 editio princeps, the so–called Aldina, which is currently supposed to be lost. It thus represents the only instrument of control for this traditional branch as well as a precious witness to the interest aroused by (...) this Galen’s work and its circulation among classical scholars in the Renaissance Italy. This article provides a critical edition of the excerptum, including with identification, translation and commentary. (shrink)

The paper examines the definitions of the concept ›philosophy‹ resp. ›the philosopher‹ in Florentine renaissance Platonism, namely Marsilio Ficino and his scholar Francesco di Zanobi Cattani da Diacceto. Following Socrates and Pythagoras, Ficino distinguishes between mundane philosophy and divine sapientia. In contrast to his teacher, Diacceto's Aristotelism rejects the Pythagoreanism and connects philosophy with sapientia. In order to show how the differences between Ficino and Diacceto emerge, three more contemporaries are taken into consideration: Christoforo Landino, Angelo Poliziano and Giovanni (...) Pico della Mirandola. As a result of this examination, it can be said that the definition of ›philosophy‹ in Florentine renaissance Platonism tends either to Pythagoreism or to Aristotelism or to both. Closely connected with the debate on philosophy are topics and maxims such as meditatio mortis, theologia negativa, docta ignorantia, scio ne scio, nosce te ipsum, ne quid nimis et al. (shrink)

British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Ahead of Print.

In this book, Christopher Celenza provides an intellectual history of the Italian Renaissance during the long fifteenth century, from c.1350–1525. His book fills a bibliographic gap between Petrarch and Machiavelli and offers clear case studies of contemporary luminaries, including Leonardo Bruni, Poggio Bracciolini, Lorenzo Valla, Marsilio Ficino, Angelo Poliziano, and Pietro Bembo. Integrating sources in Italian and Latin, Celenza focuses on the linked issues of language and philosophy. He also examines the conditions in which Renaissance intellectuals operated in an (...) era before the invention of printing, analyzing reading strategies and showing how texts were consulted, and how new ideas were generated as a result of conversations, both oral and epistolary. The result is a volume that offers a new view on both the history of philosophy and Italian Renaissance intellectual life. It will serve as a key resource for students and scholars of early modern Italian humanism and culture. (shrink)

Dans cet article j’analyse quelques extraits de la traduction latine du De anima d’Alexandre d’Aphrodise, faite par Girolamo Donato (1457-1511), noble vénitien, ambassadeur de la Serenissima auprès de plusieurs cours en Italie et en Europe, homme de lettres ami de Poliziano, Marsilio Ficino et Aldo Manuzio. En comparant les extraits avec l’original grec, le but est d’en vérifier la valeur : la fidélité du latin au grec, la compréhension générale du contenu et, en l’occurrence, la possibilité de rendre plus (...) clairs certains passages obscurs du texte d’Alexandre. (shrink)

"La filosofí­a florentina en el jardí­n de Adán" La Modernidad ha tenido enormes dificultades para reconocer plenamente al Humanismo como parte de toda su incuestionable tradición filosófica y en particular de reconocer al Humanismo florentino a partir de sus propuestas filosóficas como lo que en esencia ellas son, representaciones concretas, históricas, del mundo. Tales dificultades radican en la imposibilidad de no poder o no querer superar sus propios parámetros y esquemas de explicación y reconstrucción histórica. Pues si algo es cierto, (...) es que filosofí­as como las de Pico della la Mirandola, Marsilio Ficino, Poliziano, Pomponazzi, Tommaso Campanella y Giordano Bruno, contienen todas ellas una constante común: la dificultad de ser explicadas y comprendidas a la luz de la razón y de la cientificidad modernas. "The Florentine philosophy in Adam's garden" The Modernity had had enormous difficulties to recognize fully the Humanism like apart of all its unquestionable philosophical tradition and in particular of recognizing the Florentine Humanism starting from its philosophical proposals as what in essence they are, concrete, historical representations, of the world. Such difficulties reside in the impossibility of not to be able, or not to want to overcome, their own parameters and explanation's outlines and historical reconstruction. Because if something is true, it is that philosophies like those of Pico della la Mirandola, Marsilio Ficino, Poliziano, Pomponazzi, Tommaso Campanella and Giordano Polish, all of them contain a common constant: the difficulty of being explained and understood by the light of the reason and in the modern scientific approach. (shrink)

Questo contributo mette in luce la molteplice funzione politica di uno schema agiografico centrale nella rappresentazione della giovinezza di Bernardino da Siena: il suo servizio durante la peste del 1400 presso l’Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala di Siena. La memoria di questo episodio si prestava ad essere utilizzata tanto dall’Osservanza minoritica quanto in diversi contesti locali. In questo racconto Bernardino è presentato come capace di rispondere ai bisogni della città non solo attraverso le proprie virtù, ma radunando altre persone (...) e convincendole a impegnarsi per il bene comune, anche a rischio della propria vita. L’episodio, così come è raccontato dagli agiografi, incorpora la prima predica fatta dal giovane Bernardino ai membri della confraternita dell’Ospedale. Il testo indica programmaticamente la necessità per i laici di anteporre il bonum commune al bonum proprium e delinea un ruolo di leadership dei frati dell’Osservanza nel cuore delle città. Inoltre, se a Siena la memoria della peste del 1400 serviva a sottolineare il rapporto tra il santo e le istituzioni della città, la raffigurazione di tale episodio in alcuni affreschi dipinti a Lodi nel 1476 non soltanto veicolava un modello di spiritualità laicale ma serviva a promuovere e legittimare la riforma ospedaliera in corso a Lodi. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:During my stint as a visiting scholar at St. Bonaventure University, I stumbled on two very interesting manuscripts that are not as well known as they deserve to be. I would like to make these two 'pebbles' more accessible to other scholars and to anyone who desires to approach this valuable material, which is preserved in the Friedsam Memorial Library.The First Manuscript: A "Handbook" for the Observant FriarsAt St. (...) Bonaventure University, I was working on the sources concerning John of Capistrano's polemics against the Jews and the Turks. To this purpose, I scanned the Ottokar Bonmann Archive at St. Bonaventure for letters, sermons, and treatises. At the same time I was working on the critical edition of Capistrano's La dichiarazione in volgare sulla Regola di san Francesco, which amounts to a vernacular explanation and interpretation of the Rule of St. Francis. It is one of the first vernacular texts of its kind, providing, in a few simple words, an explanation of the meaning of Franciscan spirituality. As its author is one of the "four columns" of the Observant family, it can, in fact, be understood as a vademecum for the Observants. My first impressions in this direction were confirmed and reinforced by looking at the manuscript Holy Name College, cod. 35, which is now preserved in the Friedsam Memorial Library of St. Bonaventure University .Chiappini lists three manuscripts containing La dichiarazione:1. L'Aquila, Archivio di Stato, cod. S.73, ff. 461b - 469b 2. Naples, Biblioteca Nazionale, cod. XII.G.5 n. 23. Rome, Biblioteca Vallicelliana, cod. B.131, ff. 53r-66vBonmann found six other manuscripts:1. Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana , Vat. lat. 13100, ff. 80r-94v2. Rome, Biblioteca S. Isidoro 1/68, ff. 244r-254v3. Rome, Biblioteca S. Isidoro 1/85, ff. 10r-24r4. Washington DC, Library Holy Name College, cod. 355. Zara, Biblioteca Paravia, cod. 1552, ff. 3v-13v6. Private collection of Giovanni PansaSince I have not yet been able to see the last two manuscripts , some questions remain concerning their actual contents. When we consider the Zara manuscript, for example, we notice that Chiappini claims it to contain on folios 3v-13v the Expositione della Clementina de Clemente V, sopra la regula de li frati minori, traslata ad litteram de latino in vulgare per lo venerabile frate Iohanni de Capestrano . Based on the similarity of subject matter and the use of the vernacular language, Bonmann inferred that this text included Capistrano's dichiarazione. The circumstances surrounding the manuscript in Giovanni Pansa's private collection present us with a real detective story. This Italian bibliofile described the manuscript for the first time in 1887, when it resided in a library in Sulmona. Pansa subsequently bought the manuscript and sold it in Rome before 1925 to the antiquarian bookstore of Ermanno Loescher & Company. Since then, the manuscript has disappeared without leaving any trace. All details concerning this story can be found in the work of Chiappini, who wrote that the manuscript contains the Postilla in clementina "Exivi" super Regulam fratrum minorum per sanctum Ioannem de Capestrano. This might be the same Postilla as that found in MS. 20 of the Capestrano library. Based on all this, I believe that Bonmann misunderstood Chiappini's reference.Thus far I have found one manuscript not mentioned by Chiappini or Bonmann, namely MS Roma, Biblioteca S. Isidoro, 1/87, ff. 66ss. Hence there are now either ten or perhaps only eight manuscripts available for the creation of a critical edition . One of these, as I have indicated above, is manuscript Holy Name College, cod. 35, currently kept in the Friedsam Memorial Library of St. Bonaventure University. As I had the opportunity to study this manuscript, I can provide a more precise description of its codicological properties and contents. (shrink)

La biografia di Bartolomeo di San Concordio contenuta nella Chronica antiqua del Convento di Santa Caterina di Pisa presenta un modello esemplare di predicatore domenicano, i cui tratti sono lo stile di vita sobrio, la spiccata attitudine allo studio, la vasta produzione letteraria e l’abilità nella predicazione. Al di là degli stereotipi, applicabili a molti frati domenicani, la biografia lascia trasparire alcuni elementi che caratterizzano l’ambiente del convento pisano. In particolare, la metafora della ‘biblioteca vivente’ utilizzata per descrivere la (...) vasta cultura e la straordinaria memoria di Bartolomeo, segnala da una parte l’attenzione alle tecniche della memoria, particolarmente diffusa nell’ ambiente pisano, dall’altra l’instancabile attività di Bartolomeo come autore di compendi e di opere enciclopediche destinate ad una larghissima diffusione. Bartolomeo of St. Concordio’s biography, contained in the “Chronica antiqua” of the Convent of Santa Caterina of Pisa, gives a model of Dominican preacher, whose characteristics are a simple lifestyle, a strong attitude towards studying, a wide literary production and the preaching ability. Beyond these stereotypes, which can be found in many Dominicans, the biography reveals some elements that characterize the environment of the convent of Pisa. In particular, the metaphor of the 'living library', used to describe Bartolomeo’s broad culture and extraordinary memory, draws attention to the techniques of memory, particularly widespread in the environment of Pisa, and describes Bartolomeo’s tireless work in writing “summae” and encyclopaedic works for a large circulation. (shrink)