Ferdinando Palasciano
Encyclopedia
Ferdinando Palasciano was an Italian
physician and politician, considered one of the forerunners of the foundation of the Red Cross.
(Campania
, then part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
), he graduated early in Literature and Philosophy, Veterinary Science and, finally, in Medicine and Surgery.
In 1848 he fought in the Bourbon
army against the Risorgimento riots of 1848. However, his help to wounded went against the Royal orders, and he risked to be executed for insubordination. He declared:
This declaration is believed to be one of the first related to the main "help principles" of the Red Cross.
Thanks to the intervention of King Ferdinand II, the sentence was commuted to one year in prison jail in Reggio Calabria
. Palasciano's later discourse at the International Congress at the Accademia Pontoniana of Naples
(1861), had a widespread echo in the whole Europe and was at the base of the First Geneva Convention
which founded the Red Cross (1864).
In 1865 he was appointed as Professor of Surgical Chemistry at the University of Naples and in 1883 he was among the founders of the Italian Surgical Society.
During the Expedition of Thousand, Palasciano fought at the "Battle of Volturnus", taking care of wounded Borbonic soldiers.
Two years after, he worked on the other side of the trenches, since he was called by Giuseppe Garibaldi
to cure a malleolus
wound that he received while fighting on the Aspromonte
mountains. The two made friends and started an epistolary correspondence now housed in the museum of San Martino, Naples.
He was also a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
and Senate
, and counsellor at the comune
of Naples.
Around 1886 Palasciano developed dementia
. He died in 1891 and was buried in the square of illustrious figure in Poggioreale Cemetery, Naples
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
physician and politician, considered one of the forerunners of the foundation of the Red Cross.
Biography
Born in CapuaCapua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
(Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, then part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
), he graduated early in Literature and Philosophy, Veterinary Science and, finally, in Medicine and Surgery.
In 1848 he fought in the Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
army against the Risorgimento riots of 1848. However, his help to wounded went against the Royal orders, and he risked to be executed for insubordination. He declared:
This declaration is believed to be one of the first related to the main "help principles" of the Red Cross.
Thanks to the intervention of King Ferdinand II, the sentence was commuted to one year in prison jail in Reggio Calabria
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
. Palasciano's later discourse at the International Congress at the Accademia Pontoniana of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
(1861), had a widespread echo in the whole Europe and was at the base of the First Geneva Convention
First Geneva Convention
The First Geneva Convention, for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field, is one of four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It defines "the basis on which rest the rules of international law for the protection of the victims of armed conflicts." It was first adopted...
which founded the Red Cross (1864).
In 1865 he was appointed as Professor of Surgical Chemistry at the University of Naples and in 1883 he was among the founders of the Italian Surgical Society.
During the Expedition of Thousand, Palasciano fought at the "Battle of Volturnus", taking care of wounded Borbonic soldiers.
Two years after, he worked on the other side of the trenches, since he was called by Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
to cure a malleolus
Malleolus
Each leg is supported by two bones, the tibia on the inner side of the leg and the fibula on the outer side of the leg.The medial malleolus is the prominence on the inner side of the ankle, formed by the lower end of the tibia....
wound that he received while fighting on the Aspromonte
Aspromonte
Aspromonte is a mountain massif in the province of Reggio Calabria . The name means "rough mountains", so named by the farmers who found its steep terrain and rocky soil difficult to cultivate. It overlooks the Strait of Messina, being limited by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas and by the Pietrace...
mountains. The two made friends and started an epistolary correspondence now housed in the museum of San Martino, Naples.
He was also a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
and Senate
Italian Senate
The Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
, and counsellor at the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Naples.
Around 1886 Palasciano developed dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
. He died in 1891 and was buried in the square of illustrious figure in Poggioreale Cemetery, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.