Scabies Outbreak in the 14th Century: Clues from Correspondence Between Poets

The deleterious effects of scabies, an infestation of the skin by the human itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis, were well known in the Middle-Ages (1). Here we report descriptions of Medieval “itch” by Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374), called the "Father of Humanism", and Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375), two eminent Italian poets who influenced further famous artists as Shakespeare and Chaucer. Both of them suffered from scabies and emphasised the main features of the parasitic infestation, namely the endless itch and the skin dryness.
Source: The American Journal of Medicine - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Medical Humanities Perspectives Source Type: research