Folklore and Medicine in an Italian Village

Abstract

I SAW America and its big buildings. But here in Cortina we have air you can breathe and pure, cold water to drink. No one ever gets malaria from our air. Our water is good for the In truth, the air of the village is free of soot and smog for there are no factories and few automobiles to contaminate the mountain atmosphere.1 The water is cold and it is, no doubt, good for the liver. Our investigations reveal that in truth no one in the community ever got malaria from the air. Thus, in a sense, we have verified the folk statement quoted above. Cortina d'Aglio2 is not the idyllic mountain haven to which one would wish to retire. Despite the pure water, there were eight cases of typhoid during the summer of 1955. Acute hepatitis (non-infectious) accounts for some eight to ten cases each summer. Intestinal disorders (e.g. enteritis, amoebic and bacillary dysentery, shigella, and other diarrheas) are common among the young and old alike. Though the water may be good for the liver, the diet is not. Cholesterolproducing fats, e.g. lard, and heavy starch, place a heavy load on the liver and gall bladder. The 1,500 calorie per day intake contains little assimilable sugars. Large amounts of poor quality wine are used to wash down the food; though the wine is low in alcohol content (10-11?), copious amounts are taken. Drunkenness is rare and alcoholism virtually unknown. For those not suffering from mal di fegato 'liver trouble', there is always the chance that they will suffer from kidney ailments (renal calculi) and uremia. The diet of the Agliese is basically one of pasta and greens. Aside from protein contained in macaroni pastes (pasta) and eggs, the only animal protein consumed is pork (December to February), lamb (late-spring and early-summer), and, on rare occasions, veal or chicken. The major meal of the day consists of scatone (water in which pasta has been boiled, flavored by wine), pasta with a simple tomato sauce, greens (in season), bread, and wine. Scatone serves as an appetizer by killing the appetite and thus assuaging the pangs of hunger. The only variation of diet is a seasonal one. There are no daily variations. An inventory of the diseases evidenced in Cortina reveals a catalogue of all the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune which the flesh is heir to. From the ravages of infantile maladies to the circulatory breakdowns of the aging, the Agliese is beset by the same organic and mental disorders common to urban society. In addition, during the early morning, until swept away, the filth of human excrement clogs the open sewers which are the cobbled streets of the village. The village is not without sanitation facilities. Nearly 20 per cent of the 1,119 places of habitation have internal running water. The other residents rely upon nearby faucets or fountains in the piazze. There are four houses equipped with