De Morbis Artificum Diatriba
First book on occupational diseases and work-related risk prevention.
Bernardino Ramazzini, an Italian physician who lived from 1633 to 1714, wrote *De Morbis Artificum Diatriba* (translated as *Discourse on the Diseases of Workers*). This book, composed in Latin, is the first work ever dedicated to occupational diseases and the prevention of work-related hazards. It is considered a foundational text of occupational medicine, one that remains highly influential. The first edition appeared in Modena in 1700, when Ramazzini was a professor of Practical Medicine at the University of Padua; the definitive second edition came out in Padua in 1713, during his tenure as a professor of Theoretical Medicine there.
Because of this work, Ramazzini is regarded as the father of occupational medicine. The book is also a key text in occupational health. It has been cited by figures such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Cotton Mather, and has been acknowledged or directly quoted in nearly every major work on occupational medicine from the 1800s and 1900s.
The book covers between 53 and 69 different professions. It offers analytical and methodological approaches for diagnosing and preventing diseases linked to these jobs, and details health hazards from chemicals, dust, metals, repetitive or forceful motions, awkward postures, and other disease-causing agents workers encounter. The range of occupations is so broad that even today, one might easily come across a work-related illness that Ramazzini already described. For instance, a paper on grain itch noted that the book had described the same disorder, and it was suggested that farmer’s lung be renamed Ramazzini’s disease.
**Contents**
The book presents Ramazzini’s observations as both a doctor and an investigator of the local area, blending clinical notes on the patient-worker with descriptions of working conditions, techniques, and related health risks. Across 54 chapters, it reports health risks for workers in over one hundred occupations, and is now seen as the first textbook of occupational medicine and a forerunner of occupational health. The *Diatriba* describes specific disorders in individuals and groups of workers doing the same job. While some clinical pictures are now only of historical interest, several disorders remain health problems for specific worker groups today. Ramazzini proposed various precautions for disease prevention, with basic ideas largely rooted in common sense.
- born
- 1633
- died
- 1714
- field
- Occupational medicine
- nationality
- Italian
- known_for
- Founding work of occupational medicine; first book on occupational diseases
Lore & Background
De Morbis Artificum Diatriba was first published in Modena in 1700 while Ramazzini was a professor of Practical Medicine at the University of Padua; its second, definitive edition was printed in Padua in 1713 while he was a professor of Theoretical Medicine at the university. The book describes between 53 and 69 different professions and includes analytical and methodological approaches to diagnose and prevent diseases associated with them. It details health hazards posed by chemicals, dust, metals, repetitive or violent motions, odd postures, and other disease-causative agents encountered by workers.
The book describes Ramazzini's observations made as a doctor and as an investigator of the territory, combining clinical remarks of the patient-worker with the description of working conditions and techniques, and related risks to health. In 54 chapters it reports health risks faced by workers in more than one hundred occupations. Much space is dedicated to musculoskeletal disorders, stress-related health disorders, breast cancer in nuns, sensory system diseases, and environmental pollution. Ramazzini proposed several precautions for the prevention of diseases whose basic idea, mostly based on common sense, was correctly conceived.
Reader's Guide
De Morbis Artificum Diatriba is considered the first textbook of occupational medicine and a precursor of occupational health. It has been cited by Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Cotton Mather, and acknowledged or quoted directly in virtually all notable works on occupational medicine of the 19th and 20th centuries. The book foreshadowed many interventions that are well established today: removing polluted air, carrying out work in spacious places, interrupting prolonged posture, reducing working time to limit exposure to hazards, and using personal protective tools. Ramazzini's main precept, given in 1711, was 'far better to prevent than to cure.' The book's breadth of occupations remains so great that there is even today a high chance one might inadvertently address an occupation-related illness already touched on by Ramazzini. A paper discussing grain itch indicated that the book described the same disorder, and it was proposed that farmer's lung should be renamed Ramazzini's disease.
Did You Know?
- The book describes between 53 and 69 different professions.
- Ramazzini reported that breast cancers were very often found in nuns’ breasts more than in any other women, anticipating the observation between nulliparity and hormonal status by centuries.
- The book was the first to report headaches resulting from exposure to chemical substances.
- A paper discussing grain itch indicated that the book described the same disorder, and it was proposed that farmer's lung should be renamed Ramazzini's disease.
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